Bound
by AZ1087653
Summary: As long as he could wake up with Chiaki in his arms and kiss the person he loved every morning, there was nothing else he could desire. Love had bound the two together.
1. Moments Like These

I really think that poor Hatori got a raw deal. So many people give him grief because of his character being turned into a rapist; which wasn't in the manga in any way. Because of that issue (which rape seems to be a common place occurrence in many BL mangas) he tends to be looked down on. So I thought he needed some fluffy stories to bring out his loving nature (I mean, really, who spends 28 long years being in love with someone, offering to take care of them, and actually taking care of that person without being an absolute saint?). These one-shots will not be regular, but whenever my muse hits.

/GG/

Bound

Moments Like These

Strangely enough it felt as if his cheek was damp from crying or the like. That didn't really make any sense though as he couldn't remember crying. So why was his cheek damp and better yet, why was it damp when the man was supposed to be asleep.

Hatori's eyes opened lazily and he fought the urge to curl up and fall back asleep, especially since it was his one day off in what seemed like ten years. It would have been nice to let slumber overtake the senses again, but there was still the mystery of why his face was wet. Even in a hazy state the editor was still coherent enough to let curiosity overcome the desire to fall back into dreamland.

Strength was slowly coming back to his person, so he was able to move slightly and that was when he felt the dead weight next to him. Hatori rolled over and came face to face with Chiaki and knew exactly why his face was wet. The two must have been facing each other while in the deep recesses of sleep. During said sleep the smaller man had apparently drooled and thus the wet pillow and Hatori's wet cheek.

Most people would have been slightly disgusted with waking up to find themselves having slept on someone else's drool. Not Hatori. He rather ignored that little bit of information since it was Chiaki and it really didn't matter what he did because Hatori would love him till the day he died. It wasn't as if the two hadn't exchanged saliva before, so sleeping with it was no big deal anyway.

Hatori didn't want to wake his partner since the peaceful look on the man's face brought a smile to his own. How beautiful those eyelashes were as they lay against Chiaki's skin, eyes darting back and forth under the eyelid. No matter what, he'd always thank fate that he and Chiaki were tied together. The bond between the two transcended more than just lovers or partners, they were able to add friends to that list which turned the covalent bond between the two into a double covalent bond. As Hatori saw it, they were bound together for the rest of existence and that was just fine by him.

"Ha…," Chiaki mumbled in his sleep, causing his lover to look at him with wide eyes. "…tori."

An even bigger smile (which wasn't really all that big anyway) spread across the man's face when he realized he must have been the subject of the dream. Many a night had been spent dreaming of Chiaki, even before the two had become a couple or consummated their love. Hatori could vividly recall some of the dreams he'd had in high school that ended up with him plastering the sheets with a nice sticky substance. No one would ever find out that he had become so good at laundry in order to keep his mother from finding out that he'd spurted a load onto his clothes, sheets, and blanket.

"Love…," Chiaki continued mumbling, drawing Hatori from his present thoughts of embarrassing high school boners. "Ha…tori."

"I love you too, Yoshino." Hatori whispered as he kissed Chiaki's nose and pulled the man closer to him.

Drool be damned if it was going to come between a moment when Hatori could pull his lover closer to him without being pushed away in embarrassment. He smiled in wonder as he felt Chiaki settle down and grip his pajama top like a baby grips a finger. Moments like these reminded him of why he loved the man as he did.

/GG/

"You spend too much time doing laundry, Tori. We should go out and do something, it's so nice." Chiaki complained as Hatori finished hanging his now clean and drool free pillow case on the drying rack.

"I had to clean up your little mess Yoshino. Drool leaves a nice white, chalky residue on my otherwise clean pillow cases." He responded evenly.

"I do not drool!" Chiaki sputtered, completely scandalized. "How do you know it wasn't you?"

Hatori sighed; sometimes it really was just like being in love with a child. Then again, other times it was definitely like being in love with a man, especially when it involved certain bedroom antics that shall remain undisclosed for the time being. Either way, he loved all that was Chiaki, so he took what he could.

The editor walked over toward his lover and placed a finger on the corner of the other man's lips, right where the lower and upper lips connected. He ran the soft pad of his fingertip over that spot and felt a slight shiver come from Chiaki's body. Any sort of physical contact between the two usually ended with the younger shivering. This reaction to his touch pleased Hatori more than he would ever let on.

"Because, Yoshino," he deadpanned. "You still have a crusty drool mark that runs from here to here." He indicated the line of dried drool on the other man's face.

Chiaki batted the hand, which had become an offending article, away from his face and scowled. "You are not nice, Tori." He huffed in indignation.

Hatori patted Chiaki's head and used a napkin dipped in water to clean the mark off his lover's face. "I love you, Yoshino."

The other man nodded slightly and allowed Hatori to cup his face and place a gentle kiss on his forehead. Another kiss was added to the smaller man's nose, followed by a much longer one on the newly cleaned lips. Chiaki groaned into the kiss and opened his mouth. Hatori took the invitation and deepened the kiss.

Mornings like these were common place when it came to the editor's life. As long as he could wake up with Chiaki in his arms and kiss the person he loved every morning, there was nothing else he could desire. Love had bound the two together, and no amount of drool was going to come between them.


	2. His Reason for Living

Here are some more fluffy Hatori/Chiaki moments to make people's hearts melt. At least it made mine melt while I was writing. Enjoy and Cheers!

/GG/

His Reason for Living

After a long week of work, in which anyone in their right mind would want to sleep for a month to make up for lost time, all Hatori wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed. When he stepped through his doorway though he knew he may not be getting the sleep he so desperately needed. On the floor, in a messy heap, were Yoshino's shoes.

He sighed and placed the footwear so the toes faced the door, removed his own and did the same, then stepped into his apartment. The place smelled normal, so at least Chiaki hadn't tried to cook anything again. This made Hatori happy since he hadn't wanted the fire department to be called a third time in a rolling month.

After looking in his bedroom and not finding his boyfriend, Hatori made his way to the living area to see if maybe Chiaki was still awake. That wasn't the case, as he soon found out. The kitchen was pristine, which meant the mangaka hadn't even been in that area. On the other hand, his coffee table was loaded with beer, chips, cookies, copies of The Kan, and a lone candle flickering ever so lightly.

Hatori shook his head as he surveyed the sight. What he should have done is woken his sleeping beauty up and demanded the man clean up the mess. Of course what he should have done and what he did were exact opposites. The editor cleaned up the mess as quietly as he could, covered Chiaki with a blanket, and then went to take a shower. At least he'd be able to sleep without the man in his bed if he kept him on the sofa.

The shower proved to be just what was needed and soon Hatori was sliding under the covers, ready to let his eyes shut and not open for an extended period of time. Try as he might though, he couldn't fall asleep. What really bothered him was he knew the reason.

Yoshino.

When his boyfriend stayed the night at his own place, Hatori was able to easily fall asleep. Knowing that the man was in the same apartment, but not sharing his bed was keeping him from dozing off. When had it come to pass that Hatori couldn't sleep under the same roof without his smaller partner next to him?

He thought back to a time before they had officially started together as a couple. Even back then it had been hard pressed to let Yoshino sleep in the living room while he took the bed. Usually the mangaka was already asleep in Hatori's bed before he came home anyway, so it was almost second nature now.

"Damn," Hatori said softly.

It really wasn't going to work if his lover wasn't in the bed with him. He'd have to tell Chiaki to stay at home the next night, but for now he would collect the man and bring him to the bed. At least that way he could sleep, which was the only thing he wanted, really.

Hatori padded into this front room and watched Yoshino sleeping. He could make out the man's chest moving up and down with every breath taken. Each of those important breaths were keeping his lover alive and that made each of Yoshino's breaths important to Hatori as well.

He leaned over and scooped up the smaller man in the bridal style. How Chiaki managed to stay asleep was beyond him, but there wasn't even a sound coming from his vocal chords. This meant Yoshino was in deep sleep, so he wouldn't wake up as he was moved.

_How selfish of me, _he thought. _Here I am, a grown man of almost 29, who can't sleep without his security blanket._

The thought made Hatori a little disappointed in himself; but he was able to account for his behavior in that it could get cold in the front area and he wouldn't be able to change the temperature if he slept in his room. Hatori tried to keep his room at a constant temperature, unless Yoshino changed it, so he was able to guarantee neither would be cold.

Softly, Hatori set his lover on the bed next to the wall. Yoshino curled up into a little ball once his body hit the mattress. After a few moments that ball expanded and opened its eyes with all the curiosity of a child.

"Tori?" Chiaki asked while Hatori slipped into bed.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Yoshino. I'm sorry. Go back to sleep."

The slighter man slipped toward Hatori and wrapped an arm around Hatori's midsection. "I'm glad you're back. It was getting lonely." This was said with a yawn, and Hatori watched as Yoshino's eyes closed and the man immediately fell back to sleep.

A soft chuckle emitted from Hatori's lips as he kissed his lover on the top of the forehead. Hearing Chiaki make such bold statements while half-asleep would never get old. Hatori snuggled down under the covers and let sleep finally overtake him as well.

/GG/

Hatori had his nose in a manuscript and was combing through it with a clever eye. For the first time in almost a year it seemed like Yoshino's part would be complete and on-time. Pigs had started to fly and hell had frozen over.

Across the table sat Chiaki, eating a western style breakfast. Hatori could hear the occasional clink of silverware hitting the plate, followed by the other man's unmistakable chewing. He actually relished these times spent together as they were few and far between. Even if they had to meet outside of one or the other's home, at least they were meeting up.

Suddenly he heard a clank and looked up to see Yoshino staring at him, silverware forgotten on the plate.

"Yoshino?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Tori, maybe we should move in together."

The comment was such a shock the editor didn't quite know how to respond. He gaped at the mangaka as if just offered the world on a silver platter. A dozen and a half thoughts started running through his mind, the first being that he'd never have thought Yoshino would offer to share his living space. Then again, he never thought to ask the other to move in with him either.

"Bad idea, huh?" Yoshino looked completely dejected at Hatori's lack of answer.

"No, Yoshino, it's not a bad idea. I was just surprised is all."

Hatori watched as Yoshino, in complete cuteness, tried to defend his position.

"I mean, we are…you know…and technically," he all but whispered as his face turned a deep shade of red. "So it wouldn't be…bad, and we've kind of been…together…for so long…I mean."

At this point the poor, stuttering fool couldn't continue on his train of thought and Hatori fought back a chuckle. If they had been at one of their respective homes, he'd have picked Yoshino up and carried him to a bedroom to make passionate love with the man. As it was, they were in public and no amount of affection was to be displayed for the world to see.

"Yoshino, how about I stay the week with you and we can go from there?" Hatori supplied the answer.

Chiaki's face bloomed bright like a flower chasing the sun. The smile that adorned the man's face caused Hatori's heart to skip a beat. He stood up and placed a kiss on Yoshino's unsuspecting lips, not displaying affection be damned.

It was obvious by the reaction he'd received to his kiss that Yoshino was content with him staying over the week. After the blush had faded from the mangaka's cheeks, Chiaki started rambling about all they could do during the week. It seemed the artist had completely forgotten that hell week was just about to start, so Hatori would be a little busy, but busy or not, Hatori was going to make the most of it. Spending time with the person he loved was his reason for living.


	3. Magnets

Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing, favoriting, and/or subscribing to my little bit of Hatori fluff. They are fun to write, so I am glad others are enjoying reading. Cheers!

/GG/

Magnets

Rare days in which Hatori was off work early made the man's heart beat that much faster at the prospect of spending additional hours with Yoshino; provided Yanase wasn't around anywhere. He relished the time spent with his lover since their respective schedules usually kept them apart on more days than together. Living together was not something feasible, even though both wanted that arrangement deep in their hearts. If they just broke the barrier that kept them from living together then they would, at least, be seeing that much more of each other.

As it was, Hatori spent one and a half weeks at Yoshino's place and the other man spent the next week and a half at his. The final week, or Hell Week, as was dubbed by Emerald, was spent apart because Hatori was worried he's tear Yoshino's head off if the man did something ridiculous. That was not something he wanted to risk being so new to the relationship. When they had been together for at least ten years, then he'd think about it. Until that time their arrangement would be fine.

On that particular day, he was to go to Yoshino's place. He cursed an early off day for falling on one of the days when Yoshino was at his own place. Deep inside he still worried that Yanase would try and steal the other man away. Such thoughts tended to keep the stoic man awake at night with pounding fear in his heart that his lover would decide that it was time to leave him and be with the manga artist. He'd never admit that fear though, because if he admitted it then it made that fear real. He could ignore it on most days if he didn't think about it any more than necessary.

At least he'd get to sleep at a decent hour that night because of his unusual time off. Perverted thoughts ran through his head and were extinguished almost as quick. He didn't want to risk having _that_ on his mind if Yanase were indeed with Yoshino. There had been times where Hatori had left if only just to get home and take care of a problem that had made itself known in his pants. Had he not left then there would have been the possibility either Yanase or Yoshino would have figured it out and that wasn't an optimal ending.

Taking a deep breath at the door and keeping his feelings in check, Hatori walked into the entryway and said, "I'm home."

He wasn't expecting an answer, so he quickly removed his shoes and walked toward the living area. What he saw made him drop his briefcase in utter shock. In the kitchen, back to him, stood Yoshino, covered head to toe in red goop. At the sound of his briefcase hitting the floor, the slighter man turned around and looked at him.

"T-T-Tori!" Yoshino squeaked. "You're home!"

Hatori noticed Chiaki trying to smile, but with his head dripping goo it was almost impossible to tell.

"Yoshino?"

The use of just one word, formed into a question, was enough to ask, _What in god's name is going on here, what did you do to create such havoc in the kitchen?_ Hatori had become an expert at asking entire questions using just the other man's name. He also knew that when he asked such a question, Yoshino understood the full question perfectly.

"I…uh…I tried to take your advice," Yoshino said sheepishly. "I tried to learn to cook. I guess I cooked it too much or something."

Hatori couldn't even begin to fathom what had happened to his boyfriend, or the kitchen. All he knew was that the man was not going to be able to help him clean the kitchen in his current state. Deep down he was glad Chiaki had decided to try and learn to cook, but he might have need to make a rule that the mangaka wasn't allowed to try unless he was present.

Wordlessly, he moved toward Chiaki and used a napkin to wipe some of the red sauce from the smaller man's face. He almost smiled at the idea of his cleaning Yoshino like a child. Often he'd wonder if Chiaki didn't act immature because he wanted Hatori to baby him. His boyfriend had him so wrapped around his little finger there'd be no way Hatori would be able to unwind himself.

He didn't worry about ruining his own clothes at that point as he grabbed Yoshino's hand and pulled the man through the door into the bathroom. If he played his cards right then both his and Yoshino's outfits could be salvaged, as long as he worked fast. Then again, if neither ended up usable in the future as more than a dish rag, it wasn't like it was the end of the world.

Within moments of releasing Chiaki's hand in the center of the bathroom, Hatori had grabbed the shower head, turned it on, and started to spray Yoshino and himself with the rather cool water. Yoshino yelped and Hatori wrapped an arm around the other's waist to keep him from jumping out of the stream of water, which was heating up rather quickly.

"T-Tori!" Chiaki sputtered, spitting water from his mouth and wiping red goop from his eyes.

"You are all dirty, Yoshino," Hatori said calmly. "You needed a shower."

"But what about you, you were clean?"

"I am here to keep you from running off."

Hatori kept hold of Yoshino while the water rained down on their heads. After a few moments of the other man looking at him with complete confusion, Hatori leaned down and placed his lips firmly on the other's. Chiaki's immediate response was to push away, but Hatori held fast and soon his lover was responding to the kiss with fervor.

The editor deepened the kiss with the use of his tongue, causing Chiaki to moan and grip at his wet clothes with equally wet fingers. Hatori dropped the shower head and used his other hand to unbutton Yoshino's shirt. _I wonder how quickly we can get out of these wet clothes_, he thought.

/GG/

After two passionate rounds of making love in the bathroom, Hatori made sure the bathroom was clean and the dirty clothes were taken care of. Both men, freshly clothed, cleaned the kitchen and made love a third time on the counter. Hatori could have easily continued with another round, but the adorable smile on Chiaki's face made him decide against any additional play at that particular time.

"Chiaki," he said softly. "How about I teach you how to make some simple dishes?"

Yoshino looked at his lover from his perch atop the counter and smiled. "If you think I can, Tori. I am just not good at the things you can do."

"I know you can learn, Yoshino. You are smarter than you give yourself credit for," Hatori said. He started rummaging through the cabinets for the various ingredients he'd need. The small blush on Yoshino's face made him smile. "Why don't you go into the refrigerator and grab the milk?"

Hatori watched as Yoshino hopped off the counter and ran to the refrigerator like a little kid. The editor shook his head with a slight roll of the eyes. Why he loved the man was something he had never questioned in his adult life. The thought of living without Chiaki wasn't an option in his mind. They were like magnets that could not be torn apart, and if they were pulled away from one another there would have been a lot of resistance.


	4. Always Come Back

Hello to all my readers of Hatori's Case. I am so honored that there are many people who appreciate what I am writing. I thank everyone who has reviewed; whether they like/appreciate the stories or not. I respect that everyone has an opinion, but I wanted to let people know that if anyone feels threatened or bullied by any of the anonymous reviews that people (one person, maybe) are leaving on this series, let me know and I will remove them. If not, then they can stay since I am not bothered.

That being said, here is another chapter. This one does leave off with a little bit of a cliffhanger, whereas the others are able to be read independently. Cheers and enjoy.

/GG/

Always Come Back

Usually, not always, but usually when it rained and the hyperactive mangaka was forced to stay indoors he'd have all but driven Hatori bonkers with his incessant chatter about anything and everything under the sun. In truth, Chiaki hadn't aged much mentally since he was in middle school, thanks to being holed up all time because of deadlines and pure procrastination. On that particular day, when Hatori had to stay at his house and not return to work because of a sudden rainstorm and flooding, Chiaki was quite somber and seemed rather depressed about something.

Yoshino sat on his sofa with his back to Hatori, who leaned on the kitchen counter and watched as his lover just sat and sighed every time the thunder rumbled in the sky. The stoic man was at a loss as to why his boyfriend was so depressed. He wasn't stuck alone during such weather and it wasn't as if Hatori wouldn't talk to him about whatever was on his mind.

After watching the man for over half an hour stare out the window, Hatori wandered over and sat down next to the quiet man. He placed a hand on Chiaki's head and gave the smaller man's hair a little ruffle before removing his hand and placing it in his lap. Yoshino usually filled the silences, so with no one talking the lack of speech was deafening to the editor's ears.

Without warning, Chiaki leaned down and rested his back against Hatori's shoulder. Another audible sigh escaped his lips and it was enough to make Hatori speak, finally.

"Yoshino, are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"I don't know, Tori," Chiaki said softly. "I have a lot on my mind right now and I don't know how to sort it out, I guess."

Hatori's eyes grew wide as his lover moved position again so he was all but lying with his head in the taller man's lap. Not that it bothered Hatori in the least to have Yoshino being as lovey-dovey as all that, but it was a little out of character for him. Obviously something or some group of things was weighing on the man's mind.

"We can talk about it," Hatori said, offering his ear of support.

Yoshino looked up and locked eyes with Hatori. The stoic man let down his guard, which only happened when he was together with his lover, and showed a face full of compassion and love. All the trust in the world was in that one glance.

"Mom sent me a package."

"Oh…and," Hatori started, but Chiaki wouldn't let him finish.

"It was a package of girl's pictures. She wants to set me up on an arranged date toward marriage. I don't know how to respond." The look on Chiaki's face was heartbreaking as Hatori could tell it was heavy in the mangaka's mind. Hatori knew immediately how he would respond; it was how he always responded.

"Why don't you tell them the truth?" Hatori suggested.

Chiaki blushed and hid his face under his hands. "How can I do that when we haven't even admitted to people we know that we're together?"

"Yoshino, I know how difficult it will be to tell our parents, I've explained that before. I still think we should wait until we are ready to set them down together and tell everyone as a whole. If you would rather tell your family now, then we can do that, along with my family."

"But Tori, what happens if they make us break up?" The fear in Chiaki's eyes was real. It was the same fear Hatori had felt for the first months of their relationship. Chiaki was just as afraid of losing Yoshiyuki as Yoshiyuki was of losing Chiaki.

"We are both adults, Yoshino. They cannot make us do what we don't allow them. The outcome may not be favorable, but we will at least be together," he stated with conviction. "I am willing to lose what I have to keep you, Chiaki."

Hatori leaned down and placed a kiss to the other's lips. Chiaki was quivering under him, so he wrapped his arms around the slight man and pulled him into a sitting position for better support. In that position they stayed until Chiaki was willing to speak again.

"Me too," he said softly, as if admitting something.

The pair sat on the sofa and ignored the downpour outside by cuddling one another and swapping an occasional chaste kiss. Just being with one another was enough to make all problems disappear into the night time sky. It was when the rain finally stopped that Chiaki became talkative again.

"Tori," he started as he turned to face the man. "You should move in with me."

This was a common conversation between the pair and was probably another of the issues weighing on Yoshino's mind. Even though they were trying to cohabitate on a week and a half basis at one or the other's places, it hadn't really worked out in their favor. The call of one's own bed and one's own room kept beckoning for return.

"If I recall correctly Yoshino, it was you who decided last week that you needed to sleep in your own bed," Hatori said as he stroked Chiaki's dark brown hair.

"That's because you weren't in your bed, you were at work."

Hatori wanted to laugh, first it was marriage pictures, which was obviously just a ruse to get to the bigger issue Chiaki had, now it was the real problem; Chiaki still wanted Hatori to move in with him.

"You never had issues before sleeping in my bed alone."

Chiaki scoffed and pouted. "That was before we were…together. It's hard to sleep without you anywhere now, but I can fall asleep in my bed easier knowing that you won't be coming to my place."

The editor knew that problem all too well since he faced it quite a bit as well. If they did move in together that would make it a little difficult for either to sleep if the other wasn't around. Hatori didn't want to do anything to upset his lover's creative muse, especially keep the other man from sleeping.

"I'm guessing this was the problem, and it had nothing to do with dating photos."

Chiaki nodded. "Those are real, but mom sends one a month. I always send them back without telling you," he answered sheepishly.

This did cause Hatori to chuckle; Chiaki was so cute when he was being stubborn.

"Then what is the real issue, Yoshino. Tell me straight."

Hatori watched as Chiaki turned to face him and look into his eyes. He admired the man for finally admitting the whole truth of his depression. Maybe one day he could be so brave and admit what was eating at him as well.

"Every time I have to watch you leave," Chiaki began as he started to blush a brilliant shade of scarlet. "It makes me feel very weird, like I shouldn't have to watch you walk away from me…" he mumbled.

This confession was similar to how Hatori felt at times; he hated leaving or seeing Chiaki walk off and leave him at his house. In a word, it was heartbreaking. Hatori just did a better job of covering up his feelings.

"I always come back, Yoshino."

"Yes you do!" Chiaki shot. "Like today; but you only came today because I withheld the manuscript. If I hadn't done that then you wouldn't have come and I wouldn't have seen you."

Hatori was gobsmacked. Had Yoshino just admitted to intentionally delaying the release of his newest chapter because he wanted to see his editor? No, not his editor, he wanted to see Hatori. The thought flattered him, so he didn't even have the energy to get angry. Instead he pulled his lover in for a deep kiss and a bone crushing hug.

"I love you, Chiaki," Hatori whispered as he held his boyfriend's face with his hands. "Just don't keep hold of materials like that again or you may find yourself in a world of hurt." He said that last part with love and devotion, so it didn't come across as a threat to the mangaka.

"But Tori," Chiaki said, tentatively reaching up and cupping Hatori's face the same way Hatori was cupping his. "I miss you too much when I can't see you every day."

The look on Chiaki's face was like that of a little lost child and Hatori knew he couldn't keep dancing around the issue. He wanted to move in with Chiaki, but he had repressed emotions about the issue. To put it plainly, Hatori was scared of what moving in together might do to their relationship. He was already scared enough about losing the man because of the past, but he didn't want to ruin the future before it even had a chance to occur.


	5. Skirting Around the Issue

I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed or just read the last chapter. It makes my day to see all the people who have hit the story, whether they make their presence known or not.

/GG/

Skirting Around the Issue

Silence is meant to be golden; especially in the case of sleeping. Hatori Yoshiyuki wasn't too fond of the silence at that point. Then again, it wasn't completely silent. He was sitting in Yoshino's bed after another conversation about moving in with the man. Said man was sleeping with his arms wrapped around Hatori's waist, soft snores emanating from a slightly ajar mouth. The feel of his lover attached to his hip both calmed and terrified the stoic man. While Yoshino was sleeping it was easy enough to deal with the request; in other words he needn't say anything.

It was when Chiaki was awake and asking that things got a little hairy. The look on the beautiful man's face almost broke Hatori's resolve each and every time he looked into those pleading eyes. Yoshino had hinted for a few weeks that they should move in together. Even Hatori had thought about the idea in the past. While it had seemed like a good idea at one point, the thought had slowly begun to turn sour and fester like a boil of worry.

There had been incidents in the past that kept Hatori walking on eggshells; incidents in which he wasn't exactly proud. For the most part he'd tried to move on from certain issues. After he and Yoshino had consummated their relationship thoughts sprang to mind that kept him from wanting to take the relationship farther. In truth, Hatori was just waiting for Chiaki to 'come to his senses' and leave him.

A slight movement from his lover at that point, when he was thinking as such, brought a tear to the editor's eye. All those years spent pining for the other man, and Hatori was actually scared to take the next logical step. What scared him wasn't Yoshino bringing up past issues, what scared him was the mangaka discovering that he never really loved him and asking him to leave.

Tears began to swim in Hatori's eyes and he willed them away. The last time he'd cried was the night Yoshino had told him, in explicit detail, what it had been like on the night he'd lost his virginity. In fact, it had been in that moment that Hatori'd decided he'd never tell Chiaki about his one-sided love and just be there for him as a friend.

Fat lot of good that decision had been. Twelve years later and Hatori had snapped. Of course that decision had led to both he and Yoshino becoming one and Hatori wouldn't have changed the outcome, even if his lover had decided to do away with him.

Hatori could feel Chiaki start to stir and he remained calm and collected. His lover was a heavy sleeper, so if he didn't make a sound or move then he would fall back into a deep sleep and not wake up for some time.

"Tori?" The sleepy voice broke Hatori out of his musings. "Are you awake?"

"No, Yoshino," he lied. "You're dreaming, go back to sleep."

"Then why is my face wet?"

The question caused Hatori's heart to still and he realized that his willpower hadn't been as strong as he'd hoped. Perhaps it had been necessary to release those tears, as when Hatori kept his emotions bottled up he was prone to acting very out of character. More feeling might have alleviated certain situations in the past.

"It's nothing, Yoshino. I'm sorry I woke you."

Seconds after saying those words Hatori felt a hand brush his face. Reflexively he reached up and grabbed hold of Chiaki's hand as it touched his cheek and pushed it away. Yoshino didn't need to deal with his own worries; he wouldn't frustrate his lover with unnecessary thoughts.

"I'm not stupid Hatori, so stop lying to me." It wasn't very often that Chiaki called Hatori by anything but the pet name he'd given his best friend when they were five years old. Usually when his whole surname was used it was because the man was getting angry. "Tell me why you're pretending you aren't crying."

Yoshiyuki sighed in defeat. "Even grown men cry, Yoshino. It's not an uncommon occurrence."

Hatori could feel Chiaki sit up and move to the edge of his massive bed. Within moments the room was flooded with lamplight and Hatori had to close his eyes from the glare that had temporarily blinded him. After a few moments he looked over to see Yoshino starting at him expectantly. He was like a little kid waiting for mommy to tell him there was no Santa Claus; once told though many children cried. Hatori never wanted to make his lover cry.

"It's nothing you should have to worry about, I am just thinking about things from the past that I should have put behind me. Maybe I should head home so you can sleep and get some actual work done in the morning."

He could hear Chiaki groan. "You are not going to talk your way out of explaining why you are crying in my bed at two in the morning, Tori. I'm tired of you keeping things from me," he said with a slight snap. "You were the one who said we should always talk to one another or we'd never last."

Hatori recalled that conversation well. In fact, it had been just after an incident where he'd ran out on a date with the man because an urgent text from his new mangaka had come. He'd put her number in his mobile in case they needed to contact one another in emergency situations. That had been one, and in his haste he'd forgotten the phone, Chiaki had read the message, and misinterpreted the context. As far as Hatori could recall, that was the first time Yoshino'd ever barged in on him while in a meeting. The look on the man's face had been so sad it made Hatori's heart ache.

After that incident the two had promised to be more open with one another. Hatori'd even given Chiaki his cell phone at the end of each day in case the mangaka wanted to read any of the messages sent. That had lasted an entire two minutes before the man had complained that all the messages were boring and he'd wanted to do something more entertaining than read about Hatori's boring text life. That didn't stop him from handing over the phone though in case Chiaki wanted to look, most of the messages were from him anyway.

Yoshiyuki sighed and shook his head. There was no way around this unless he wanted to piss Yoshino off, which would result in a fight. He wasn't in the mood for a fight; now or in the future at any point.

"I'm not supposed to be the emotional one in our little group, Yoshino. Let's just say that I am worried about what the past may have done to our future."

He looked at Chiaki to see if he needed to elaborate. It was a known fact that at times the man with whom he shared his heart could be a little dim, but there had also been times of such clarity it amazed Hatori. The fact that Yoshino always seemed to keep him guessing was one of the reasons he loved the man as much as he did.

That night seemed to be a moment of clarity. The lack of sleep and having been woken also seemed to play a part in the mangaka's attitude. Maybe he'd been letting thoughts and feelings fester as well.

"Why are you still on about things we cannot change?" Chiaki demanded. "I'm willing to let the past be the past, Tori, but if you are too scared of the future, what kind of future will that bring?" Chiaki was actually bordering on angry and it was quite the shock for Hatori to see. Chiaki rarely got angry, even when warranted.  
"Yoshino, I just don't want..." Hatori began, but was immediately cut off by Chiaki placing a hand on his mouth, effectively silencing him.  
"There are a lot of things in this world I don't want either. I don't want to wake up without you and I don't want to watch you leave anymore and not know if you will come back here or go to your own place. What about what I want?" Then he added, shyly, "I don't want you to leave."  
Hatori suppressed a slight chuckle. It always amazed him how Yoshino could get angry at simple things, throw a fit, and then act all innocent and cute as if nothing had gone wrong moments before. Chiaki was also grasping at straws. His lover was going to try and say or do anything to get him to move in, even if it meant tying him to the bed, in a non-sexual way.  
He, gently, removed Chiaki's hands from his face. "Yoshino, you are talking out of your head right now."  
Chiaki glared, eyes turning into tiny slivers. "I am not talking out of my head. Why won't you listen to me when I tell you how much I fucking love you!" At this, and the use of profanity, Chiaki put his hands over his mouth and gasped.  
Hatori just stared like a deer in headlights. That was one brass confession.

Moments later he started to laugh and the look on Chiaki's face made him laugh louder.

"What?" Chiaki asked, bewildered.

Hatori pulled Chiaki, who put up some resistance at first, into a hug. The smaller man calmed down once safely in his arms and holding onto his hands.

"You are so cute, Yoshino," Hatori stated in wonderment. "You can go from one emotion to the next like there in no line between them."

"That does not make me cute," Chiaki spit. "That just makes you a pervert."

Hatori leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Yoshino's upturned forehead. His lover had just reminded him of why they were so perfect for one another. Hatori was the one to worry, and Yoshino was the one to calm those worries with a look, a touch, or even a smile. Throughout his life, whenever the editor had a problem (that wasn't caused directly by the mangaka to begin with) all he needed to do was turn and look at the man and the problem would evaporate.

"Will you say it again?" Hatori asked softly.

"Say what?" Yoshino replied, sleepily.

"Say that you love me?"

Hatori felt his heart beat harder at the red tint Chiaki's cheeks took on at the request.

"I think you get my point." The man pouted slightly.

"I love you too, Chiaki," Hatori said as he pulled the slighter man into a kiss.

He'd managed to skirt around the issue again, though he had every intention in discussing moving in with the mangaka after the next Hell Week. For that night though, he knew they wouldn't get any sleep. While his rather embarrassed lover might put up a mild fight, he could already feel something hard against his thigh. Hatori would deal with other things later. Right then all he wanted to do was kiss every inch of Chiaki's body and then make love with the man until the sun came up.


	6. The Real Thing

Thank you so much to everyone who reads, reviews, favorites, alerts, etc. this set of one-shots. It makes me happy to know that people are reading.

/GG/

The Real Thing

Certain spectacles that went on in Hatori's life were amusing to be sure. Anyone else would have watched his lover with a look of bemusement; but Hatori was as stoic as usual as Chiaki bounced around the car for the umpteenth time. The smaller man was obviously thrilled to have a car sitting in his spot in the parking garage. He also appeared to be bursting with energy as he looked at the car like a child who'd just been given a brand new toy.

_Six Weeks Prior_

"_Tori," Chiaki had said nonchalantly while watching a television show that involved a car ride somewhere. "Maybe I should include a drive in the manga now that the protagonist has his license. I think his girlfriend would like that."_

_Hatori looked up from his nightly dish duty in his lover's apartment. "I do not see anything wrong with that, Yoshino. As long as it does not hinder the story line or take up too much space." He was an editor after all, and while a drive would have been a nice addition, it could also have ended up being rather boring if not used in the correct context. _

"_But Tori!" Hatori watched as Chiaki looked at him from a lounging position on the sofa. "I have never been on a car ride with anyone. What happens?"_

_Hatori had no answer to that question. Neither he nor his lover had any use for a car. Their families had cars while the boys had grown up, but a drive as a child was much different than a drive with an adult; let alone with a boyfriend. If Chiaki was going to get the right experience he'd need to have the experience as an adult. _

"Tori! Tori! Tori!" Chiaki shouted as he bounded toward the man and got into his face. "I had no idea you'd had a license. When did you get a car? Will you teach me how to drive?"

Hatori wanted to laugh, but he settled on a slight grin. Whenever he'd been able to make his lover this happy it always made his heart jump in ways he never thought possible. He rarely showed those emotions, but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling them full force within his body.

"I bought the car a couple of days ago. I know you had been wanting to incorporate a drive into your newest pages, but had no inspiration. As your editor I need to make sure you have all of the necessary opportunities to improve your writing. This will be an actual lesson to be used for your writing," Hatori deadpanned.

"Tori…" Chiaki stammered quietly. Then he grinned like the Cheshire Cat and squealed. "You are the best editor in the world! Can we go now?"

Hatori nodded his head. "The sooner the better. Once you are on this drive then you can start thinking about what to write. Maybe we can get your pages turned in on time this cycle."

Yoshino nodded and threw himself into the passenger seat with a thud and pushed the driver's door open for Hatori. The editor slipped into his seat, fastened his seatbelt, fastened Chiaki's seatbelt, and started the car. It was going to be a long drive.

"Where are we going?" Chiaki immediately asked as they exited the parking garage and started down the street.

"I thought we'd go to the Yoyogi Park."

He looked over at Yoshino and saw the man light up like a Christmas tree at the idea. The place had special memories for the two of them, starting from childhood when their parents had taken them on a special trip when they were seven. Later the park had been a place they'd enjoyed walking through when all they wanted to do was walk with each other as friends. After they'd become a couple there had been a magical night under the stars where they'd held one another under the cherry blossom trees and kissed until falling asleep. Of course that had been rather illegal since the park closed at eight in the evening, but neither man seemed to care at the time.

"Is that okay with you, Yoshino?" Hatori asked.

"Of course, Tori. I always enjoy Yoyogi, especially when I'm with you." A blush crept onto the mangaka's face and Hatori wanted to laugh as how cute the face was. Obviously the man had recalled one of their more intimate encounters.

"It will take us a while to get there; do you want to listen to music?"

"No, I just want to enjoy the quiet of the drive and maybe talk," Chiaki said looking out the window at the scenery passing by.

Hatori let his lover continue on with his musings. He didn't want to interrupt what Yoshino was thinking about, which was hopefully a way to make the idea of a drive work for his newest chapter. If he remained quiet enough then there was a good possibility the mangaka would have an epiphany and when they returned he could spend a few hours piecing together some good ideas.

It was decided in that moment to let the quiet consume them so Yoshino could have his thought time. Hatori let his mind wander slightly, but not enough to impair his driving ability. In truth, he'd not had his license very long, so he was still within that time-frame where a new driver is a little nervous on the road.

"Hey Tori?" Chiaki asked after about ten minutes of silence. "When did you get your license?"

There came the question Hatori'd been hoping Yoshino wouldn't ask. His boyfriend wasn't dim, so if he admitted the answer, it would clue Chiaki into the real reason for getting the car. He wasn't going to lie though, so he mentally prepared himself for the questions that would undoubtedly follow the first.

"I've had my license a little less than two weeks."

There, he'd said it and he watched Yoshino's reaction out of the corner of his eye. At first there wasn't much of one, then, when it obviously dawned on the man, it was undeniable. Chiaki turned toward Hatori with a look of awe on his face.

"You didn't have your license before, Tori? Why did you get it now?"

Hatori shook his head slowly with a slight roll of his eyes. "I'd have thought the answer would have been well known to you by now, Yoshino."

Chiaki lowered his eyes and then looked at Hatori from the side. "Why, Tori, why do you do things like this for me? You got your license in order to get the car so I could write a little bit of manga?"

The editor neither confirmed nor denied the question; he just chose to remain silent with his hands on the wheel of the car.

"Hatori Yoshiyuki, pull the car over!" Chiaki demanded with enough force to make Hatori swerve, miss another car, and pull off the road and into a parking lot.

He pulled into a spot and parked the car before turning off the ignition. At that point Hatori looked at Chiaki, who was eyeing him with an intense stare from his blue eyes. When he felt both of Yoshino's hands grasp his shoulders, the editor's eyes widened.

"Yoshino?" Yet another long question asked in only one word.

"You didn't get your license for me did you?"

Hatori kept his poker face in check. "I won't deny that thought, Yoshino."

"Why do you do so much for me, Tori?" The look in Chiaki's eyes made Hatori's heartbeat speed up.

"The answer to that question is obvious, Yoshino."

His lover dropped his hands in a huff and glared at him. "How can you say things like that with no emotions? You say the most embarrassing things with your voice, but sometimes you don't sound like you mean it when you say it so straight-faced." Chiaki started pouting.

Hatori let his eyes soften. "You already know I will do anything for you, Yoshino. I went to driving school to get my license for you."

"Tori…" Chiaki said softly. "You do things for me so often I can't hope to catch up to you, ever."

Hatori reached over and turned his lover's face toward his. "I never expected you to try and compete with me, Chiaki. I do it because I love you." He leaned in and placed a kiss on Chiaki's nose.

"I don't want it just to be you who does things though. I want to do what I can for you too."

_Your love is all I want, Yoshino. _"That is not necessary."

"The hell it's not; you deserve something from me for everything you do," Chiaki snapped. His features immediately softened and his face turned bright red. "Could we…when we get home…maybe…?" He couldn't finish his thought.

This sentence made Hatori smile. "Could we, what, Chiaki?" he purred.

"You know…" Chiaki said softly, turning redder. "Don't make me say it out loud."

"I know what you are asking for." The thought that Chiaki was starting to ask for _that_ made Hatori's soul dance. He'd been waiting almost thirty years for his lover to become more proactive. Well, not the whole thirty, the first twenty-eight had been spent wishing Chiaki'd become something more than just a friend.

Hatori leaned in and placed a kiss on Yoshino's lips. The smaller man yelped into the kiss, making Hatori pull away.

"Yoshino?"

"Let a man know before you do that, Tori," Chiaki gasped slightly.

"Chiaki, I'm going to kiss you again." Hatori said, cupping Yoshino's face.

The look on Yoshino's face was priceless and had Hatori not intended to kiss the man senseless, he'd have wanted a picture. He immediately forgot wanting the picture though when Chiaki kissed back with passion. Nothing compared to the real thing anyway.


	7. A Single Thread

Here is a fluffy story from before the manga and the light novels (which I now own) take place. This story is a Happy Birthday present for Risque Tendencies! お誕生日おめでとうございます! And, of course, the spell system changes parts into Kanji, darn it! Oh well.

/GG/

A Single Thread

Hatori was semi-excited; though by the age of seven he'd learned how to hold in his excitement or lack thereof at getting to go over to Yoshino's house for any sort of fun time. Today just happened to be the latter's birthday and there were going to be a dozen or so other children there, so Hatori would need to wait patiently till his overly energetic best friend calmed down enough to give him some time. That was how the birthdays had become over the years.

For Chiaki's third birthday Hatori had let himself get very excited and in the end had been let down by the boy hardly paying him any mind. Sure, Hatori was always shorter than his best friend, but that didn't mean he should be excluded. For the next birthday Hatori'd grown slightly, but not enough to take on the big cousins that had been invited; thus Hatori had ended up with a broken arm and had to be carried out of the party. Chiaki hadn't even given him a glance as he was taken away by this mother.

The subsequent fifth and sixth birthdays saw Hatori sitting on the sidelines or on the sofa with the adults; just listening. Chiaki had eventually came over and given him a few moments of time, but it was hardly worth it to show up at all. Hatori had even thought that maybe he shouldn't show up for the seventh birthday because it just made him sad. He was still shorter than Chiaki, though not as much as before; he had grown sturdier. The problem lie in the fact that over the years he'd stopped wanting to participate in such activities, whereas Chiaki loved them, so Hatori was content to just sit and watch.

That still didn't dampen his semi-excitement at getting to go to Yoshino's though. No matter how much it pained him to be 'excluded' he was still happy to see his best friend. Hatori didn't know why Yoshino had been able to do anything in his eyes, yet remain absolutely perfect, no matter what. He knew he loved his best friend with every ounce of his being. That fact would never change.

"Yoshiyuki!" his mother called from the first floor. "We need to go or we will be late."

Hatori looked at the present he had picked out, wrapped in blue paper, the color of Chiaki's eyes. The package was tied off with a golden ribbon with a perfect bow; meticulously tied by the seven year old himself. A lot of tender, loving care went into picking out the gift, wrapping it, and tying that ribbon; because to him, that was what his best friend deserved.

"Coming!" he shouted back as he hopped off the futon and walked out of his room at a steady pace.

/GG/

It was a common-place occurrence for Hatori and his mother to walk the whole block to Yoshino's house. On the way he'd expected to see others making their way to the same destination. Usually a few of their classmates were invited, as well as various family members. This time they were the only two who seemed to be walking in that direction.

Hatori's heart leapt into his throat. Maybe something had happened to Yoshino and the party had been cancelled! No one had bothered to even let him know! His mind started to panic in the way any seven-year old's would; every horrible thought he could think of, came crashing down.

That panic was short lived when he saw Yoshino standing at his gate with a huge grin plastered on his face. Hatori was in slight shock at seeing his friend, perfectly healthy and happy, but not surrounded by the dozen or so friends he was expecting to see.

Chiaki took off toward him with a holler, "Tori!"

Within seconds Hatori was glomped, fell onto his back with his best friend lying on top of him.

_What is he doing? And why do I feel funny everywhere? It's like a tingling sensation is on every part of my body._

Hatori didn't get a chance to try and answer any questions.

"Tori," Chiaki babbled excitedly. "I've been waiting for you for hours!"

"Chiaki!" his mother barked, pulling the boy off Hatori so he could finally breathe, though the _feeling_ was still everywhere. "You have only been waiting outside for twenty minutes. That's hardly hours."

"I know that mama!" Hatori watched as Chiaki glared at his mother. "But I've been awake since very early. So I have been waiting since I got up." Chiaki grinned proudly and knelt down in front of Hatori, who was still sitting on the pavement. "Hey, Tori. Let's have fun today, okay."

The grin on his friend's face was enough to make Hatori blush and also keep that fire that had been growing inside of him continue burning.

_What is this feeling?_

"Yoshiyuki-kun, let me help you up since Chiaki seems to have lost his manners."

Chiaki's mother helped lift the boy to his feet while his own mother did a once-over to make sure he wasn't dirty or wounded anywhere.

"Mo-om!" Chiaki called out in indignation. "This is Tori, he's not hurt; he's real strong!" Hatori's hand was grabbed and soon the two were running into the house. "Come on, Tori. Let's go to my room!"

After the maze of rooms died down and they were safely in Yoshino's room, Hatori sat down and looked around. It didn't even look like there was a party. He was bordering on confused.

"Uh, Yoshino, where is everyone?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Chiaki chirped as he brought out a huge box of Legos. "Oh! We are everyone."

Yoshino plopped down in front of Hatori with his box of Legos and grinned proudly. "Today is for us!" he announced.

Hatori was confused and had no problems stating as such, "But…it's your birthday. You love having people come over for your birthday."

Chiaki lowered his head and for a brief second Hatori thought the boy would burst into tears. No tears followed; what did made Hatori's heart break and dance at the same time.

"I do love parties, but my best friend stopped liking them for some reason. So…I asked mom to just let you come for my party today. I didn't want a big party if you weren't going to be happy."

With those words Hatori could feel a tear start to trek its way down his face and land on his chin. Chiaki had given up on what he wanted for Hatori's sake. What a…stupid…no, it wasn't stupid…what a loving thing to do.

Not thinking too clearly at that point, Yoshiyuki got onto his knees and wrapped his best friend in a hug. Moments later Chiaki hugged back while Hatori cried.

_I love you, Chiaki. I am going to spend the rest of my life loving you and doing everything in my power for you. I will live for you, from now on. _

"Tori…why are you crying?" Chiaki asked as he pulled away. Hatori could feel a finger wipe the tears from his eyes and cheeks.

"Because I love you, Chiaki."

He looked into Yoshino's eyes and saw a look of admiration and trust. Yes, he loved this boy with all of his heart and he would continue loving him until the day he died.

"You're my best friend, Tori. I love you too!"

Chiaki sat back and dumped out the Legos while Hatori watched. It wasn't quite the confession he had just said, but it would come in time. He could wait as long as needed. Eventually, he knew in his heart, Chiaki would say it and mean it too.

"Here, Yoshino. I got you a present." Hatori said solemnly.

Yoshino grabbed the present and tore open the packaging with no regard to the beautiful wrapping. Hatori watched with a slight grin on his face as Chiaki opened the box and pulled out the books he'd found. He knew that Yoshino didn't like reading much, so he'd picked out a few manga to see if he could get his best friend into reading.

"Tori…" Chaiki breathed. "Look at all the pictures!"

That was just the beginning. Hatori knew that many more adventures awaited the two of them. He and Chiaki were bound together by a single thread of destiny, and had been from birth. No matter where they went, or what lie in their path, that thread would keep them forever at one another's side.


	8. You Give Me Everything

This chapter is Chiaki-centric as a little present to those who have asked for a little bit from the other's perspective. Please enjoy.

Also, thank you to everyone who viewed and reviewed or just viewed. I am honored so many people are looking at this series. Thank you!

/GG/

You Give Me Everything

Rays of sunshine fell onto the sleeping man's face as he slowly opened his eyes and blinked at the intrusion of light into his line of vision. Chiaki was undeniably comfortable in that tiny room, on that tiny bed; but it was missing something. He turned to his side and noticed that Tori was not sleeping in the bed with him; which explained why he felt a little off that morning. His editor was busy, but he always felt lost when he didn't wake up before Tori.

What the editor didn't know was that Chiaki had started waking up slightly before Tori just so he could see the man sleeping. After that tiny glimpse he was able to go back to sleep and have dreams that revolved around the man and sometimes his cooking. So customary were the dreams that when he didn't wake up before Tori and have those dreams it made Chiaki feel depressed. He'd never admit to those dreams and thoughts though, not for an entire collection of The Kan, signed by the author, and still in mint condition.

Well…maybe for those, but he would argue quite a while before relenting.

Chiaki rolled over onto Hatori's side of the bed and hugged the pillow to his face. He could still smell the larger man in the bed clothes and it made him both comfortable and giddy at the same time. It made the man a little sad that the spot wasn't warm, which meant that Tori had left quite a while before Chiaki'd roused.

"I did it again," he said to no one.

Yoshino Chiaki burrowed under the covers and let the smell of sex overpower him. The prior night had been very…taxing. He'd lost count of how often they'd 'consummated', but each time had left him unable to think and eventually the exercise had caused Chiaki to pass out. The next thing he knew, he'd woken up to an empty bed. Maybe making love, frantically, many times at night wasn't such a good idea if he didn't want to be worn out to the point of not being able to wake up before Tori.

"That idea wouldn't go over well," he mumbled as he crawled from the bed. "Especially when there is no way in hell I can tell him the reason why."

The thought made him blush ten shades of red. Tori'd never let him live that little quirk down. He wouldn't say too much about it, but it would always be on the editor's mind, which meant it would always be on Chiaki's mind. God forbid he accidentally let something like that slip to Yuu. That man would have teased Chiaki till the end of time and the dawn of the next.

Chiaki shuffled from the room and into the kitchen, on the way to the bathroom. Hatori's place was so small that his bathroom was off the kitchen so the water pipes only had to run through one wall. That was customary in Japan, but in Chiaki's apartment there were two bathrooms; one with a bathtub. Sometimes Chiaki missed that bathtub when he stayed over at Tori's place.

Of course, there were things that took his attention away from such thoughts rather quickly. Like the fact that Tori had left food out on the table. Chiaki's heart leapt into his chest as he picked up the note on the table.

_Yoshino, I made you breakfast. Enjoy the food and be sure to put the dishes in the sink, rather than leave them out on the table like last time. _

_Do some writing and planning for next issue's material. _

The first part of the note went in one eye and out the back of the mangaka's head. It was the next part that excited him.

_I have a surprise to share with you when I get home. _

_I love you, Chiaki. See you soon. _

A surprise! The idea made Chiaki happier than a kid in a candy store. Any sort of surprise from Hatori usually meant a big surprise. Tori's last surprise had been to get his driver's license so Chiaki had been able to have a drive. That man did anything and everything for Chiaki…Hatori really loved him.

Saying that to himself made a tingling sensation course through Chiaki's veins. Hatori's love was something he coveted with every fiber of his being. No way in hell was he ever going to give that up.

"I love you too, Tori," he sighed before his eyes shot open wide and he glanced around the room like there was someone who was going to eavesdrop within hearing distance.

It wasn't that Yoshino was embarrassed at saying those words. No, wait, yes…he was embarrassed to admit that. He loved the man enough it embarrassed him to admit those words out loud. Many a time he'd given himself a pep-talk because he was going to admit the words with his voice; along with his actions. He just didn't know how to go about freely admitting his feelings. Maybe he needed to get a book on the subject.

Yoshino sat down at the table to eat breakfast. In his mind he imagined Hatori sitting across from him. The times when they ate together were so sporadic; he needed to imagine the other there…he just had to.

/GG/

Yoshino was sitting on the sofa working on pages for the upcoming magazine. Rather than spend the day loitering around, he'd decided to give Hatori a surprise of his own and finish as many pages as possible. He'd been able to outline all but three pages. Chiaki was just finishing up one frame when Tori walked through the door.

"Tori!" he chirped when the other walked through the door. He quickly tried to cover up his excitement at his lover's return. Lover! Did he really just think that?

"Yoshino." The response was rather emotionless, but Chiaki could tell Hatori was surprised that the dishes had been cleaned and that he was on the sofa working.

"Tori, I managed to almost finish the upcoming frames. I can finish them tomorrow and fax them in to work if you want."

Hatori nodded, "That will be fine, Yoshino."

Chiaki really wanted to know about the surprise, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Hatori would let him know in due time. Until that moment Yoshino had to act like a child waiting to open up Christmas presents and feel the anticipation.

"If you give me twenty minutes, Yoshino, we will leave. Make sure you are dressed warmly; it's a little cool tonight."

Hatori walked into his bedroom and left an excited Chiaki on the sofa, wondering what was up and where they were going. Obviously it was outside if Tori was warning him about the weather. That thought made him recall that night with the fireworks over a year ago. His heart started to beat faster and he immediately jumped up and raced into Hatori's bedroom to find a sweater to wear.

/GG/

Less than an hour later, a blindfolded Chiaki was being led by hand over a grassy incline. He could feel the grass crunching under his feet as they made their way toward the top. Originally the blindfold had scared the crap out of him, but the look in Yoshiyuki's eyes as he asked Chiaki to don the thing caused the mangaka to calm down enough to be rendered sightless for the entire car ride, plus the walking.

"We are almost there, Yoshino. Then I will take the blindfold off."

"Okay," Chiaki replied, excitement dripping from every word.

The feel of the other man's hand in his caused his heart to thump. His heart was in sync with Hatori's, as it had been for years. He could even feel the faint thump of Hatori's heart from his thumb. Each beat was like a breath of life for Chiaki; the life of his lover.

"Yoshino," Hatori spoke up, breaking Chiaki from his musings.

"Tori, are we there?" Of course there was an obvious answer to that question, but he wasn't quite thinking at that moment in a logical fashion.

Moments later he could feel Hatori untying the blindfold. He blinked slightly and focused on first Tori's face, and then their surroundings. They were standing on top of a hill, just a stone's throw away from the city. Stars littered the nighttime sky and it took Chiaki's breath away.

"Tori," he breathed. "Is this for more inspiration?"

Hatori took hold of Chiaki's hand and led him to an area where they could sprawl out on the grass. "No, Yoshino. This is to celebrate the anniversary date of your first published volume being released."

Chiaki furrowed his brow for a moment. Was it really such a day? Had they ever celebrated that day before?

"And, no, we've never celebrated this day before. I knew that the meteor shower coincided, and I thought we could make this a tradition."

Still, there was no emotion in Hatori's voice, but Chiaki knew better by that time. He knew that deep down Hatori was trying to keep his calm.

Yoshino sat up and looked at his boyfriend, who was looking up at him from the lower vantage point. "Tori." Again the word was barely a breath.

Without waiting for another word, Chiaki lowered his face and kissed the unsuspecting man on the lips. He could feel nothing for a second, then Hatori deepened the kiss and pulled Chiaki's slighter frame onto his. Yoshino moaned into the kiss as he grabbed hold of Hatori's hair and ran his fingers through the brown locks. It didn't take much to make him hard and ready for the other man.

They pulled back, both breathing hard, and turned to their sides, looking at one another. Chiaki could see the need in Hatori's eyes. He nodded his agreement. It wasn't very often he didn't put up some sort of mild protest (he was a man after all), but in that moment, with the shooting stars flying across the sky, he wanted to feel Hatori's love.

"I love you, Chiaki," Hatori said softly, pulling the other toward him.

_I love you too, Tori. You give me everything and I want to give you everything in return. _


	9. One Time

Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, followed, or any combination of the aforementioned options. It makes me happy to see people are enjoying what I am writing.

/GG/

One Time

Hatori was in mild shock as he finished cleaning the dishes in his apartment. It was a very rare sight indeed to see one Yoshino Chiaki actually cleaning something, other than occasionally helping with the dishes. During that particular moment the man was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor from when the delivery men had tracked some sort of tar-like substance from the street into the apartment. Hatori had just figured on hiring a professional, but Chiaki had been so keen on helping clean up the mess he hadn't had the heart to tell his lover not to, even if he did end up ruining the floor.

In truth he was getting slightly turned on at seeing Chiaki's cute posterior flailing around in the air. He'd have to keep his perverted thoughts to himself though, because the mangaka was in such deep concentration Hatori didn't want to mess up the other man's groove. Messing with Chiaki when he was cleaning tended to make the man stop, and seeing his partner act so domestic made Hatori fall in love with him all over again.

Instead, the editor decided to continue cleaning the dishes and wait for Yoshino to get bored and ask to do something else. As of recent the two had been so busy their hours together could have been counted on one hand; for the last month. This was the first full night they'd been able to spend together since half of Marukawa had come down with pneumonia and Chiaki had been asked to submit a double issue.

"Hey, Tori," Chiaki called, making Hatori think that the other man was ready for a new way of spending time. "I ran into my ex today."

That bit of information wasn't uncommon, but it still caused Hatori's heart to skip a beat. The back of his mind was always plagued with thoughts of Yoshino deciding he wasn't actually interested in being with a man and going completely straight again.

"It made me think of how many ex-girlfriend's I've had and the one's you've had." Chiaki continued to babble for a while and then asked the dreaded question. "Tori, was I the first person you'd ever been intimate with?"

The sound of a dish shattering at his feet was the only thing that brought Hatori back into the real world. How long he'd been 'out of it' after the question graced his ears was debatable. By the time he was coherent enough to realize he had zoned out, Chiaki was next to him with a worried expression on his face and was shaking his shoulder slightly.

"Tori?" The worry in his lover's voice apparent.

"Sorry, Yoshino. I think I may have dropped a plate. You should step back so I can make sure no one gets hurt."

Hatori looked at the floor, actually afraid of looking into his lover's eyes. _Why in the hell would he think of asking such a _question_? This isn't some sort of television show or manga book. _There was a broken plate on the floor by his feet. Luckily both he and Chiaki were wearing slippers and socks, so Chiaki wasn't stepping on the glass with his feet and Hatori's were protected as well.

"I'm not a child, Tori. I can help clean up some broken glass." Yoshino fell to his knees and started to pick the shards that had landed on Hatori's socks. He meticulously placed them in his hands. Seeing his lover in such a position reminded him of a conversation they'd had years ago.

**Hatori had been sitting at his desk while his best friend of forever, Yoshino Chiaki, had been crawling on the floor looking for a missing artist's pencil. He used to love watching the gangly teenager crawl around on his floor. Years prior (technically only two, but who was counting) the teen had been shorter than his friend. Hatori had filled out rather quickly within a short amount of time and now stood taller than his friend. **

"**We did it last night, Tori!" Chiaki giggled as he found his pencil and sat on his ass on Hatori's floor. **

**Hatori didn't know what to say to this comment. He was heartbroken, to be sure. For quite some time he'd expected Chiaki to take that 'first step', but he hadn't prepared for when that time had actually come to pass. **

"**It was kind of messy, Tori, but I've got to tell you, it's so much better than using a hand." Hatori watched as Chiaki blushed severely and stopped giggling as if he realized what he was talking about. "This is kind of an embarrassing conversation, but I feel much more comfortable talking about this with you than Yuu. He'd just tease me."**

That had been the first of many conversations Hatori'd had with Yoshino about the latter's sexual escapades. Each and every time, save one, he'd listened and felt his heart break all the more. The one time he didn't just listen was when he'd had a girlfriend at the time.

That one time had been while they were in college. After Chiaki had told him about his recent encounter Hatori hadn't been in his right mind and his girlfriend and he had 'consummated' their relationship. It hadn't been anything like what Chiaki babbled about. In fact, after the fact Hatori had felt sick and immediately broke it off with the girl. Since then he had kept it in his pants unless it was to gratify himself with thoughts of Yoshino.

After getting together with Chiaki, Hatori had wanted to put that past behind him. He never wanted to recall that one time. But with only one question from his clueless boyfriend, that one time had popped back into his head. Not only that, but it reminded Hatori that Chiaki had been much more experienced than he; a fact he'd wanted to keep on the down low.

"Hatori!"

The use of his full name caused him to come back to the present and look at Yoshino. The other's eyes were full of curiosity and his hand was full of broken plate. Hatori held out the rubbish bin for the plate, but really wanted to keep from trying to answer any questions. It would probably be best if he pretended he needed to go into work quickly just so he could avoid the upcoming conversation.

"Thank you, Yoshino," Hatori mumbled. "I just remembered I needed to finish something at work, so I will be leaving for a few hours. Feel free to sleep or take a shower."

Hatori didn't even wait for an answer before he went to his bedroom to collect his briefcase. When he left his bedroom to head out the door though he was stopped by an angry looking Yoshino, glaring daggers into his eyes. The look was rare, but he had seen it before, years before. Chiaki was pissed.

"I can't believe you, Hatori," Yoshino snapped. "You promised we could spend the day and night together." Chiaki could really lay it on thick when he was angry.

"I apologize, Yoshino. I will make it up to you."

"What's so important that you need to go to work at this time of night?"

_I can't answer that question right now, Yoshino. I don't know how you will react if I actually came out and told you that the only reason I have ever had sex was because you couldn't shut up about it and I ended up giving away a part of myself that I had been saving for you!_

The insides of Hatori's head were spinning and he could start to feel himself get a little woozy. Moments after he could feel a hand on his shoulder and he looked into the eyes of Yoshino. Through the anger he could see the concern the other was showing him.

"I don't think I want to answer your question, Yoshino."

"Which one?" Came an even more confused question.

"The one you asked before I broke the plate."

Silence ensued as Hatori assumed Chiaki was trying to recall what question he asked. Within that silence he shook his head and cleared his thoughts enough to think. It wasn't that he was fully embarrassed anymore; it was because he was sad he hadn't saved himself for the person he loved.

"I guess that means I wasn't your first?"

_Such an innocent question, Yoshino. _

"I mean, why would you react this way?" Chiaki continued speaking while Hatori just listened. "Is that the reason you want to leave?" This question was asked so softly Hatori could hardly hear it.

Hatori looked at Chiaki again and saw hurt, which made him feel horrible. He'd promised never to hurt the man again, and in one moment he'd done just that.

"I won't leave, Yoshino," Hatori admitted in defeat. He didn't really want to leave. There were times when Hatori didn't think before he acted; this had almost been one of them.

He was surprised when Chiaki linked hands with his, as the man was usually thoroughly embarrassed at even minor displays of affection, and led him back to the sofa in the living area of the apartment. Hatori just went along with it because it probably wouldn't happen as often as he liked. Most of the time it was Hatori taking care of Chiaki; not the other way around.

The following silence was littered with heavy emotions as well as an incredibly thick atmosphere. Neither man really knew how to continue the conversation. For the first time in his life Hatori noticed that Chiaki was at a loss for words.

"Listen, Yoshino…" Hatori started when the silence became rather unbearable for him.

"Tori, it's okay that I wasn't your first," Chiaki blurted out. "You weren't my first either. I just kind of realized that I used to tell you about all of my experiences and I realized you never told me any of yours. So…I…" Hatori noticed Chiaki getting red in the face as the man lowered his head. "I was just curious as to why you didn't confide in me like I did you."

_There he goes again, asking innocent questions that can end up hurting both of us._

"Yoshino, I have only been with you and one other person. I didn't want to mention it because I really only just wanted you."

Chiaki's eyes got huge at this confession. Hatori was more surprised that he just opened up this little bit of his past. He felt immediately uncomfortable.

"Was it a girl?" Yoshino asked shyly.

_What does it matter if it was a girl or not?_

Hatori nodded. He then watched as Chiaki bit his lower lip and scowled for a moment.

"That means that we were the first guy for each other then, doesn't it?" Chiaki asked.

Again Hatori nodded. That was cute logic and sometimes Chiaki was very good at using his head to make an uncomfortable situation feel more comfortable. Another reason why Hatori fell more in love with Yoshino on a daily basis.

Chiaki looked into Hatori's eyes. "That means something doesn't it?"

Without speaking, Hatori nodded for a third time.

"Then let's not think about the past. Whoever was in our past doesn't matter. Let's just be together and be each other's last, okay?" He was so childlike in some of his questions.

"Yes, Chiaki."

The two words made Chiaki beam. Yoshino's smile was the bright part of Hatori's life. It didn't matter that there had been one time for him, or multiple for Chiaki, as long as they were the only for the rest of their lives.

"Tori," Chiaki started again as Hatori gazed at his lover. "I just wanted to let you know, I never loved anyone else like you. You kind of do something to me that they never could."

Hatori chuckled slightly as Chiaki started to stutter and stood up from the sofa like he'd just been bit in the ass by something.

"D-d-don't look at me like that, Tori," Chiaki cried in embarrassment. "I-I didn't realize what I was saying."

"Yes, Chiaki," Hatori said as he stood up and started toward Chiaki like a predator stalking his prey.

"W-w-wha…" Chiaki stumbled and fell onto the counter. "T-T-Tori…!"

Hatori pulled Chiaki into a hug and just stood there. He could feel the other man's heartbeat pulsating fiercely against his chest. The man secretly loved when his lover got that excited.

"I love you, Chiaki."

At those words, Yoshino relaxed and let Hatori continue holding him. The editor couldn't think of anything he'd rather do on their days off together, but hold the man against his chest. This way their hearts could beat against one another.


	10. More than Life Itself

It's been a while, hope people enjoy this latest installment.

Thanks to anyone who reads or reads and reviews. Cheers!

/GG/

More than Life Itself

On those rare days when Hatroi was able to sleep in he usually still woke up earlier than Yoshino. In fact, there had never been a time in his life, adult or child, in which the other man had woken up before him. So when he strictly recalled falling asleep with one mangaka in his arms followed by waking up without, he was a little confused. Momentarily his heart felt a little lost when he saw the other side of the bed empty. Then he realized that his lazy lover probably hadn't made it further than the kitchen or the front room. There was a good possibility Yoshino had gotten out of bed and fallen asleep in front of the television. `

Hatori was tired though. Had Chiaki still been in bed with him he would have wrapped the other man into a big hug and tried to fall back asleep for another hour or so. Since that wasn't the case he couldn't fall back asleep. One missing Yoshino was a good indicator that Hatori wasn't going to get any more shut-eye; he hadn't been good at sleeping without the other at his side anymore.

Slowly, the editor sat up and stretched his arms toward the ceiling and yawned to get more oxygen into his blood flow. The floor was cold on the base of his feet and sent a jolt through his system that immediately wiped any remaining need to sleep.

"Shit," he mumbled as he realized just how cold his bedroom was. Hatori looked at the aircon remote control and saw it set on fifteen. No wonder it was so cold; Chiaki had to have turned the setting down that far.

He turned the setting back to twenty-two and reached for his house slippers. At least he needn't walk across the freezing surface of the floor. Then he padded to the door and walked into his front room. Hatori immediately saw Chiaki sitting on the sofa, staring intently at a computer screen. This sight made Hatori happy; Yoshino Chiaki actually working on research for his manga. That was the only time his lover tended to work on a computer, for research, so he thought nothing of it as he went into the bathroom to complete his morning routine.

/GG/

It would have pleased him immensely had his Yoshino come into the bathroom to have a shower with him. When that didn't happen, it was at least some consolation that the other was working. They didn't usually end up with a lot of time together, but if Chiaki was so intent on working he wasn't about to stop the mangaka. Maybe, for once, there might even be some pages turned in on time.

The thought of Chiaki in the shower with him caused that familiar sensation to rush into his nether regions. Maybe it was a good idea that his lover hadn't joined him or they may not have gotten out of the shower any time soon. Those additional comments in his head, accompanied with memories of prior times caused his family jewels to become slightly erect. He counteracted this feeling by jumping into the cold shower and quickly cleaned himself off.

It wouldn't have gone well had Yoshino commented on how long he had been in the bathroom. The other's embarrassment about sexual acts had slowly been diminishing. Whether he brought it up was debatable, but it was always possible.

Hatori finished and walked out of the bathroom. He noted that Yoshino was still in front of the computer, in the exact same spot. The mangaka's face was about twenty centimeters from the screen and he realized that Chiaki's hands were not moving. Was he reading something?

"You shouldn't sit that close to the screen, Yoshino," Hatori said in passing as he went into the bedroom to don some clothes. When he returned the man was still staring at the screen; hadn't moved a millimeter.

Hatori walked over and put his hands on Chiaki's shoulders, pulling the man from the screen.

"Yoshino," he said softly. "If you sit that close you will hurt your eyes." He looked at the screen and didn't quite understand what he was seeing. "What are you doing, Yoshino?"

"Tori," Chiaki said with a huge grin on his face. "Yuu showed me how to download a torrent and use it to download movies, albums, and manga. I'm watching the progress."

Hatori knew what a torrent was and it was a little shocking to see that Yoshino was using one.

"I understand why Yuu may need to use one of those, but with the money you make, Yoshino, can't you buy the things you are downloading legally?"

The editor never liked to bring up the mangaka's money situation, especially since he regulated it to ensure Yoshino didn't buy ridiculous junk. Bringing up the money usually made the mangaka feel bad about his situation. Hatori hated it when Yoshino questioned his money; he deserved every coin he'd earned, but the editor knew that his lover always felt unworthy of his success.

"I can, Tori," Chiaki chirped as he looked up at Hatori with a grin. "But there are so many good foreign films out there that are not subtitled in Japanese. I have learned that fans have made something called soft subs and put them onto the movies then upload them to the Internet."

This was all new information to Hatori. He knew that there were illegally posted movies, but he hadn't been aware that fans of movies made their own subs and put them onto the Internet for others. While that was an illegal practice, it was actually rather thoughtful. Chiaki was right; there were dozens of good films in existence that hadn't been placed on the Japanese market.

"Look, Tori," Chiaki said, pointing to the computer screen. "Do you remember that movie we saw in that foreign film house when we were kids?"

Hatori looked at the title and instantly had a flashback of the two of them sitting on the chairs with only a handful of other people, watching an American movie with no translations. He'd never forgotten about that day; neither had Chiaki it seemed. The movie that had almost finished downloading was that film. Both he and Yoshino had adored sitting there and watching the film and not understanding a word of what was being spoken. It made them feel so grown-up to watch a movie in English.

Chiaki continued talking while Hatori had his musings. "I started looking for this after Yuu helped me download the torrent to the computer. I thought we could watch it together after it finishes downloading. I've been downloading it for weeks because the wifi keeps going out and there are so few seeders."

Hatori couldn't help but smile. Chiaki was being unintentionally sweet, though Hatori doubted the man realized why. That film had been fun, but more to Yoshino's taste. The reason Hatori had liked that film was because it was the first time the future mangaka had held his hand differently than as a friend. Chiaki'd unintentionally grabbed Hatori's hand and entwined their fingers in all the excitement of the movie. To the editor it had been a sign that his pining wasn't in vain; eventually they would end up together.

After that movie Hatori had searched for a copy of that film on VHS and had come up empty. Sporadically since that time, twenty years ago, he'd checked auctions and Internet sites to see if he could find the movie. That movie seemed to be elusive, until Chiaki and his torrent had come along.

"Ahhhhhrghhhhh!" Chiaki shouted out, causing Hatori to jump slightly out of his skin. "This damn thing is taking too long!"

Hatori watched as Yoshino stood up and started to pace the room, ranting.

"It said thirty minutes just a few moments ago and now it says twelve hours! Why does it do that? What is the matter with the Internet connection?"

This caused Hatori to lower his head and shake it slightly. He walked over and put his arm around Yoshino's shoulders and led the slighter man back to the sofa.

"It's okay, Yoshino. It's not a bad thing to wait a little bit longer for the movie to download," Hatori stated calmly.

"But we are busy for the next few weeks. I wanted to watch this with you today like we did back when we were kids."

The comment was so heartfelt it made Hatori's own heart skip a beat. How Yoshino did that to him was a mystery. It took a lot of self control not to smile at how adorable Chiaki looked with that depressed glint in his eyes over a movie not being downloaded quickly.

"Yoshino, it will download eventually and we can watch it then."

Yoshino frowned at him and looked away; Hatori could tell he was embarrassed.

"Why don't we make breakfast together, maybe the movie will have finished downloading by the time we finish eating."

Chiaki nodded and Hatori took hold of his lover's hand and pulled him to his feet. Then he placed a tender kiss to the other man's left cheek, then his right cheek, nose, neck, and finally lips. When he pulled back he took in the look of Yoshino's wide eyes, surprise written on the shorter man's face.

"W-w-what…?" Chiaki sputtered. "For that what was?"

Hatori almost laughed at Yoshino's inability to say the sentence in the correct order. How cute his boyfriend was when flustered.

"Because, Yoshino, I love you more than life itself."

The blush that crossed Chiaki's face could have rivaled a ripe strawberry. A grin made its way onto Hatori's face as he led his stammering boyfriend into the kitchen. The movie could wait, as long as he could feel his lover's fingers with his own.


	11. Just the Two of Them

Here is another chapter of the beautiful Hatori and Chiaki for reading pleasure. This story starts out as third person limited with only Chiaki, then goes to third person limited with both Hatori and Chiaki. Enjoy.

I don't own.

/GG/

Just the Two of Them

Sunlight oozed in from the tiny slits in his eyes, causing his brain to react to the annoyance that was light. Chiaki didn't like the sunlight because it meant it was morning and he really loved his sleep. It could have been because of the loss of Hatori that mornings brought. Every morning the two went their separate ways, but were brought together again in the evening. Sometimes it was very late evening, but it was still the time Chiaki labeled "Together" since that was the literal truth of the time of day.

Hatori would surely have laughed at the mangaka if he'd known of Chiaki's internal dialogs. Then again, the stoic editor may not have even batted an eyelash. That was one of the things that thrilled Chiaki about their relationship; Hatori was such an enigma his actions were never consistant.

_Thump._

The minor movement of the bed caused Chiaki to completely open his eyes and he was shocked to see a small child sitting on Hatori's side of the bed. If he'd known any better he'd have thought that the boy resembled a young him; big blue eyes and a pixie type face. Chiaki's eyes went wide with confusion and wonder.

"Papa!" the little boy cried as he flung himself at the confused gentleman sitting on the bed.

"Uhhhhh…" No words could be spoken, let alone thought of during that initial interaction.

"Daddy says it's time to get up because Ikuko needs a bath and she only lets you bathe her," the boy stated simply with a huge grin.

"Ikuko?" _Who was Ikuko?_ "Who are you?" Chiaki finally asked.

The little boy laughed. "Funny papa. I'm Haru. Who are you?"

"I don't know."

Confusion was the least of his worries after a moment when he reached for the blanket and saw his stomach. Chiaki couldn't even scream at the bulge under his shirt. Within moments his shirt was raised and he looked at his stomach without the cloth hiding what was undeniably a baby bump worthy of any American actress in the tabloids.

Haru reached out and put his little hand on the stomach and rubbed. "Daddy says it's another girl, like Ikuko. I am not sad though because I want to be the only boy!" Haru stated proudly.

Chiaki was in awe. Forgotten was the fact that he'd gone to bed the night before without children and woken up with children. Instead he was feeling surreal with regards to the fact that there was life growing in his belly. A small smile etched its way onto his face as he reached over and felt the bump with the child who claimed to be his son.

"What's her name?" Chiaki asked softly.

"I want to name her Akane like the girl in that book you read me once."

This caused Chiaki to chuckle and he ruffled the boy's head. He and Hatori had a family. No thoughts of having a family with his boyfriend had ever really crossed his mind before. Now that they were here Chiaki was incredibly happy.

"But papa, Ikuko needs a bath because she dumped squash all over herself. We gotta hurry or daddy will get angry."

A few times in his life the anger of Hatori had made itself known. Chiaki was nowhere near ready for that anger this early in the morning, so he stood up, with difficulty, and hobbled out of the bedroom with Haru's hand in his.

Another shock greeted him when he saw Hatori, wearing an apron with lacy edges and a flower pattern, feeding a muck-covered child in a highchair. The sight was enough to bring tears to his eyes. This was the perfect setting for Hatori, feeding a child and being the head of a family.

"Tori?" Chiaki couldn't quite believe the scene playing out in front of him.

"Yoshino, Ikuko-chan needs a bath." The statement was calm and direct, exactly like Hatori usually spoke.

"Daddy!" Haru screeched, launching himself at Hatori and knocking a cup of milk onto his head and onto Hatori's lap. "Let's all take a bath together!"

The mangaka stood on the spot and watched the play-by-play with fascination. Hatori picked the child up and tried to wipe some of the milk off the boy's head. He then scooped the girl up and carried them both to Chiaki.

"I don't see as we have a choice now, right?"

Chiaki just nodded. He couldn't take his eyes off his lover. The look in Hatori's eyes was, in a word, breath-taking. The color of his eyes was so pristine and Chiaki could see his own reflection in the pupil. Fatherhood had done wonders for the two of them.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz…_

The vibration of his phone on the nightstand broke Chiaki out of his dream. He opened his eyes and saw Hatori sleeping next to him; breathing in and out in a soft, steady pattern. Immediately Chiaki's hand went to his stomach and saw that it was as flat as it was when he'd fallen asleep. It was a dream, the kids, the family; none of it was more than the subconscious thoughts of a man asleep.

He looked at the peaceful face of his lover and felt his breath hitch. Chiaki'd have sold his kidney on the black market for a chance to give the man he loved a family like that. Even when asleep, the other's profile was still breath-taking; dark eyelashes a nice contrast to pale skin.

"Did you give up the dream of having a family to be with me?" the man asked softly as he brushed an eyelash from the other's cheek.

Chiaki lowered himself back down to the bed and closed his eyes. The idea of having a family with Hatori was a beautiful dream.

/GG/

Soft clicks of the keys on the computer accompanied the song of Chiaki's home. The other sounds; the hum of the refrigerator, the soft vibration of the air conditioner, and the whir of the laundry machine, created a harmony of white noise that kept the man typing as quickly as he could.

"Yoshino?"

The mangaka looked over at Hatori with a huge, dopey grin on his face. After waking up, less than an hour after trying to sleep and dream some more, Chiaki'd decided to get up and do some research.

"Tori, I've been looking into adoption," he stated as he glared at the computer screen.

Hatori coughed. "Come again?"

"I had this dream, Tori. In it we were a family and had two and a half kids. Haru was the boy and Ikuko was the girl. I had another one growing inside of me!" Chiaki sing-songed happily. "It was a perfect dream, Tori. I know you'll make a great father and while we'd have move to another country, I can still work and you can speak to Takano-san via SKYPE, and…"

He was broken off by Hatori shutting the laptop with a sigh.

"Tori, I was reading that!" Yoshino spit as he tried to pry his editor's hand off the top of the notebook.

"Yoshino, I want to speak with you seriously for a few minutes before you continue on this path," Hatori said calmly.

"But…" A finger was placed against Chiaki's lips, stopping him from continuing.

"Yoshino." The word didn't come out in a scolding manner, but was enough of an undertone to get the man to stop and pay attention.

He didn't expect to be embraced and almost fell from the chair when the editor's arms wrapped around his shoulders. A moment of squirming stopped when he felt Hatori's heart beating against his chest. The rhythm of the other's heart always calmed Chiaki down in a zen like way.

The hug lasted for a few more minutes before Hatori broke away and kissed Chiaki's lips, causing the other to stutter and then manage to fall off the chair. Yoshino brought his fingers to his lips and felt where Hatori had kissed him as the other man sat down on the floor.

"Why are we sitting on the floor?" Chiaki asked as Hatori grabbed his hand and placed it in his own lap.

"Chiaki, you have no idea how happy it makes me that you'd think of wanting to have a family with me," Hatori started to speak quietly.

"In the dream I was carrying your child in my belly, which I know we can't do, but we can adopt, not here in Japan, but in other countries…" Chiaki rambled before Hatori put his finger on the mangaka's lips again.

"I am sure it was a brilliant dream, Yoshino, but we will never have that type of family the way we are now."

Chiaki lowered his eyes at the finality of the statement. "I know you can never get me pregnant, but why can't we adopt. You'd be a great father, Tori."

Yoshiyuki chuckled softly. "Yoshino, it has nothing to do with not wanting to be a father with you, in fact I would love if it were true that we could get pregnant together, but that's only in those fanfiction stories you seem to have started reading." He made to stand up and helped Chiaki to his feet before getting to his knees and standing up himself. "Still, that doesn't stop the fact that you and I cannot have, nor can we adopt children. It has nothing to do with not wanting to have a child, Yoshino."

Chiaki nodded slightly and looked at his laptop. On the screen was an application for a visa to move to Canada, as well as a partner publishing company in Vancouver. A dream that had been unintentionally slashed before even having a chance to breathe.

"Why?" he asked stubbornly.

Hatori wandered into the kitchen and started to make the coffee he'd left out the night before. Food was a definite necessity for his boyfriend, especially if he wanted said man to finish his chapters before the deadline.

"Because, right now, Yoshino, you love being a mangaka, right?"

"Well…yes," Chiaki said with a nod as he sat down at the table again and watched Hatori start to make eggs for breakfast.

"If we have a child then you'd have to cut down on your work and so would I. The two of us are incredibly busy with our lifestyle and having a child would interrupt what we are doing right now."

The reality finally sank in on the situation. Tori was right, if they had a child it would stall publication of his manga as well as make it difficult for Hatori to continue working his current schedule. Babies needed to have consistency and neither an editor nor a mangaka had a guarantee of a nine to five job.

Hatori finished cooking the eggs and looked over at Chiaki's downtrodden face. His heart almost broke at the sight, but he knew he was correct in his thought. But, the idea that Yoshino'd even consider wanting to have a family with him made his heart fly. Obviously the man was considering the long term relationship he himself was thinking. He wanted to remain with his lover forever and a family was a forever type of commitment.

"Maybe we can have a family later on, Tori. We aren't old," Chiaki mumbled.

Yoshiyuki walked around the counter and sat next to his lover, and placed a hand on the mangaka's head and ruffled the already messy hair.

"Who ever said that a family needed children, Yoshino?" Hatori whispered.

Chiaki turned and looked at his lover with big eyes, dancing in confusion.

"You and I, we are a family already. I don't need anyone in my family but you, Chiaki."

Yoshino blushed and turned his head away, only to have it turned back toward the other man. Moments later his lips were claimed by the other's in a searing kiss that sent electric sparks down his spine. What Tori had said was true. They were a family, just the two of them. That thought made Chiaki happier that his dream self had been.


	12. The Only Two People in the World

Hello and thank you all for reading his latest installment of Bound. I am enjoying this series and endearing this couple into my heart more and more. They are such a sweet couple; simple Chiaki and the man who would sell his soul to the devil to keep him happy. In a couple of chapters I am going to have a blow-out, as a warning. Not everything can be wine and roses.

This chapter takes place when the boys are in their first year of high school. That means that Yanase has shown up and makes a brief appearance in this one-shot.

I don'

/GG/

The Only Two People in the World

Existence obviously had it in for him; there was no other question about that fact. First that idiot, Yanase, had to show up and demand part of Chiaki's time, then he and his best friend were separated for the first time in school. Plus, Yanase was in Yoshino's class, which meant that for the first time Hatori wouldn't get to see his friend throughout the day since they'd entered kindergarten* fourteen years ago.

Now, at the age of sixteen, Hatori Yoshiyuki was too sick to go to school for the first time in his life. When he'd woken up that morning and found out his fever was over 100 degrees, his mother had all but had a coronary. After a visit from the family doctor, Hatori'd been confined to his bedroom. The doctor had told him to take it easy and sleep, but whenever he'd fallen asleep his dreams were of Yoshino running away with Yanase, both of them smirking at his sad expression.

Hatori knew the reason he was sick. It had nothing to do with any sort of bug or virus he'd caught. This day was a long time in coming; ever since the day Yanase had shown his face in middle school. That was the day that Hatori had no longer been the only one in Chiaki's life. Since then the boy felt like an outside force was causing his psyche to drain, thus resulting in a fever, fatigue, and the first bit of tears he'd shed since he was young.

The thought of losing his best friend, his life, had caused this fever and Hatori didn't think there was any way it would ever go away.

He looked over at his table, the one he used for studying. On that table was a series of pictures he'd kept of the two of them growing up. Some of them were from the two-person birthday parties that ended when Yanase entered their lives. Others were of them from when they were in kindergarten. The most recent picture had been taken a month ago at a picnic their parents had planned together. Yanase had been out of town, or that picture never would have been taken.

The look in Yoshino's eyes made Hatori smile through the fever. He loved that look, where Chiaki was only looking at him and smiling just for him. Though few and far between as of recent, they were what kept the stoic teen from putting his efforts into something else other than the boy he'd grown to not only love, but fall in love with. Unrequited as it may have been, it was still enough to keep his heart beating.

That picture was enough to make the sick boy drowsy enough to start to doze off, and he would have had he not heard his mother outside the door.

"Just a minute boys, let me make sure he's awake and aware." He heard his mother say.

"Is he really that sick?" He heard Yoshino inquire. "Poor Tori, he needs to see me so I can help him get better."

"Oh, Chiaki, you are so cute. I am sure Yoshiyuki will love seeing you, even if he is sick."

Hatori listened with his eyes open. His mother had said boys, which meant that not only was Yoshino outside, but Yanase, who was glued to the other at the hip when possible. He didn't want to see the one who had caused his fever; that would only make the sickness worse. Better to play it safe, for even though he desired to see Yoshino like a man needed oxygen to breathe, his distaste at seeing Yanase when he was already sick was overpowering.

So, when his mom opened the door, Hatori closed his eyes and feigned sleep. He evened his breathing and hoped no one would hear his heart beating a samba in his chest.

"Yoshiyuki?" His mother asked quietly; he could hear her padding across the tatami mats in his room toward his futon. After a few seconds she moved away from him. "I'm sorry boys, but he's asleep right now. You can come back later, but I don't want to wake him when he's still so sick."

Hatori almost chuckled at Yoshino's response.

"Oh Tori, you can't die!"

His mother did chuckle. "Chiaki-kun, he's not going to die. He just needs to sleep."

"Are you sure, Tori never gets sick, so maybe he's dying and we just don't know it yet!"

Then Yanase spoke up. "Relax, Chiaki. That guy isn't going to die any more than you are going to become a rocket scientist." Those words were completely true, Hatori hated to admit.

"Yuu, he's just lying there, so sad and pathetic. I shouldn't leave, maybe you should go on ahead without me."

Hatori liked that idea, but he knew Yanase would never go for it.

"He's asleep, Chiaki. Let the guy heal and you can come see him later."

The boy heard his mother usher both Yoshino and Yanase out of the hallway and down the stairs. He was both grateful and sad at Chiaki leaving. Whenever the one he loved left, he felt a hole in his heart. Instead of dwelling on the emptiness he felt, Hatori fell asleep and let the fever eat at him without his knowledge.

/GG/

This same situation continued on for a solid week. Yoshino and Yanase would show up at his house, Hatori would pretend to be asleep, and he'd listen to the two banter with his mom and amongst themselves. Eventually his mom would usher the two out and Hatori would be left in some semblance of peace. The only reason real peace never entered was that he'd never gone this long without speaking to his best friend and it was tearing him up inside, which was causing the fever to remain at a steady 101.2 degrees.

He'd refused to go into the hospital, so the doctor put him on an IV in his bedroom. Had he been anyone else, that wouldn't have been allowed, but that was the good part about living next-door to the doctor; if there was an emergency, he was less than a stone's throw away. Plus, his mother was always at home, so it wasn't like he was alone.

It was a lot quieter at his house than at the hospital anyway, and he needed quiet more than he needed the sterile hospital environment.

After a quick nap, Hatori sat up and let himself eat the soup his mom had left. It was dark out and he could see stars through his window. Yoshiyuki started to count the stars in his head, but ended up forgetting where he was when Yoshino's face appeared in the window. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, so he closed his eyes and blinked a few times before looking at the window again. Yoshino was still there, looking worried.

"Yoshino?" Hatori asked, standing up and moving softly toward the boy. He opened the window and stepped back to allow the other to enter.

"Tori?" Chiaki all but fell into Hatori as he knelt down and took his shoes off out of politeness. "You aren't dead?" Hatori was immediately wrapped into a hug by the slighter boy.

"Yoshino, you are going to get sick if you are so close to me," Hatori said as he pried the other's arms from his person.

"No I'm not, you can never make me sick. But I missed you so much and you were always asleep and Yuu always kept me out late, so I wasn't able to come by, but you were here all by yourself and I wasn't here to help you and it hurt for some reason and I don't know why…" Chiaki rambled on and this caused Hatori to laugh slightly.

"Yoshino, you're talking without thinking."

"But Tori…"

Hatori wanted to kiss the boy in front of him, but he kept his distance, after all, Yoshino had a girlfriend and he was sure Chiaki would bolt if he did such a thing. So he kept himself restrained, but pushed away and walked back to his futon. That was when Yoshino seemed to see the IV.

"Oh my god, Tori! What is this?"

Chiaki reached for his IV and Hatori had to keep him from accidentally pulling it out of his arm.

"It's giving me medicine, to help the fever."

Yoshiyuki immediately felt a hand on his forehead. He looked up at Yoshino's eyes and saw tears swimming, threatening to spill over.

"Yoshino?"

"I thought I was going to lose you, Tori. You were gone for a week and I thought I was never going to see you again."

The tears started to stream down Chiaki's face. Hatori could feel the tears fall onto his hand, which made him want to cry as well. His heart was about ready to pound a hole through his chest. How the other couldn't hear the noise was beyond him, as it was deafening to his own ears.

"It's just a fever, Yoshino. I am going to be fine," Hatori stated calmly as he pulled Chiaki into a sitting position so they could look at one another in the eye.

A small nod escaped before Yoshino started to speak, tears still streaming down his face. "You have a bad fever and the older we get the worse a high temperature is for our bodies. I read up on it in the library the other day. You can die from a high fever, Tori, and I don't know that I can live without you."

How Hatori wished that confession had a different meaning behind it. Just the thought of his one-sided love becoming a two-way street made him want to pull his best friend into his lap and kiss him senseless before he started other things. He wasn't just burning with fever after that comment, he was burning with a desire he didn't know existed.

"I'm right here, Yoshino. I am always going to be with you, that's a promise."

"That's not always true though, Tori," Chiaki said with a hiccup. "One day someone's gonna find out how great you are and steal you away."

_Like someone stole you away from me, you mean? _ Hatori thought. _I can promise that no one will take me from you, but as to whether someone will take you from me, that's another story._

Hearing Yoshino talk almost made him think they were a couple.

"Even if that were true, Yoshino, you are my best friend and I don't expect the two of us to ever be anything but, so don't think anything more on the subject."

Hatori felt himself getting heavier and he slumped down. Within seconds he was being maneuvered from one position to another by a pair of strong arms. Yoshino was helping him move into a more comfortable position.

Soon he found himself on his back with his blanket covering his form. He looked up at Chiaki and nodded. "Thanks," he said softly.

"You'd do the same for me," Chiaki replied. _I have done the same for you,_ Hatori thought.

Hatori yawned slightly and wanted to close his eyes. The conversation with Yoshino had all but drained his energy, add that to the fever and he was lucky to still be coherent. He let his eyes close with one final thought. _I love you, Yoshino, thank you. _

/GG/

Light could be seen from behind his eyelids as he came back from sleep. The first thing he noticed was that he was able to think quite a bit clearer than the days prior. He also noticed there was a heaviness on his side. Hatori opened his eyes and saw that Yoshino was curled up at his side; head resting on his shoulder. This caused his eyes to all but bug out of his head.

If only…if only…

He cut himself off from any more thought and tried to close his eyes and fall back asleep. He couldn't completely fall asleep though. All he could think about was the weight of the one he loved, using him as a pillow. Fevers weren't supposed to bring out happiness, but for some reason this one made Hatori happier than anything else in the world.

In a few days things would go back to the way they were before, where he'd have to share his best friend with Yanase. But for the time being he was able to imagine they were the only two people in the world. That was a feeling he wouldn't trade for all the money in the world.

/GG/GG/GG/GG/

Author's note:

In Japan, kindergarten is usually three years, starting from as early as two. In America we'd call it preschool. For anyone who has watched any Japanese telly shows, the outfits used are the blue or pink frocks with the little yellow hats. Imagine how adorable Chiaki would look wearing that little outfit.


	13. Desire

Hello all and welcome back to another installment of Bound. I wanted to post a warning type message, though there isn't much needed, at least not that I think. This chapter has some discussion on sexual acts, but no lemon since I can't write a lemon to save my soul. I am not changing the rating since I do not believe it warrants a change. If someone believes otherwise, please let me know. Thanks!

/GG/

Desire

Usually when Chiaki got something stuck in his head he ended up not thinking of much else. On these occasions his boyfriend ended up thinking for him and helping the man either quench his thirst or move on. Sometimes it took quite some effort to satisfy the man while other times it took nothing more than redirecting his oftentimes child-like mind. When it came to his manga though, nothing would tear his head away from what was needed to make the story as realistic as possible.

This just happened to be one of those times in which Hatori had gone out of his way to help the one who had him wrapped around his little finger. He never questioned his lover's desires because he wanted to make the man happy. So, the editor found himself standing in front of a shrine, Chiaki at his side, just because the other man had gotten it into his head that a shrine was necessary.

After Hatori made his silent prayer, he raised his head from the alter. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Chiaki still bowed down with his prayer. How he loved the look of that man, standing next to the shrine with the sunlight cascading through the tree branches. The effect of the rays gave his cherub-like lover the look of an actual angel, complete with a halo perched atop his head.

Initially going to Izumo Taisha Shrine hadn't been on his list of things to do; Hatori wasn't one for believing in such superstitions. Chiaki had wanted to come to the shrine to gather some inspiration for his newest chapters, but hadn't been to the famous, or infamous, spot before. Thus, Hatori had asked for a few days leave to drive to Hiroshima, followed by heading to the shrine for Chiaki.

The shrine was famous for housing gods and for giving lovers good luck. Most of the people there were couples on dates, and while Hatori could easily see himself on a date at such a place with Chiaki, the shorter man would probably have been embarrassed enough to fill the Mediterranean Sea if he'd mentioned the stigma of the place.

Hatori watched Chiaki stand up a few moments later, look over at the man, and smile. The look on his lover's face was enough to make his heart melt into a puddle of goop. It was moments like those that made even the most out of the way treks worth all the hassle.

"Tori, this place is amazing and I feel completely at ease here with you, I just know I am going to get some great inspiration while walking these grounds," Chiaki said with excitement. His eyes were twinkling with each bit of light that hit them.

"I am glad you find this place as refreshing as I do, Yoshino. I am sure there will be many new turns in the arc, plus many pages actually turned in on time."

"Hatori Yoshiyuki!" Chiaki cried, completely scandalized. "How can you possibly think about work in a place like this? We should be thinking about love, not work."

Immediately his face turned red as he realized what he'd said.

"I mean…" he sputtered as he turned away from Hatori's stoic gaze. "This is hardly an appropriate place to discuss work…"

Hatori was dancing around inside. He loved the Freudian-type slips Chiaki made when he had certain things on his mind. Yes, the editor would keep proper thoughts and actions while in the compound, but once they were back at the hotel, Hatori had every intention in making love with his boyfriend into the wee hours of the morning to commemorate their 'date' to the famous date shrine.

"This place has an almost magical feeling, Tori," Chiaki gushed as he stopped by to look at a ginkgo tree. "Can't you just feel the inspiration hitting you from every angle?"

No, Hatori could not feel the inspiration, but he also wasn't the mangaka who needed to find inspiration. He was just the editor who needed to correct the pages after said mangaka turned them in. He shook his head of the thought though; he wasn't just the editor, he was also the lover and that title came with great responsibility. Such responsibility was to ensure Chiaki was happy. To Hatori that was the most important job in the world.

"Look Tori!" Chiaki's excitement broke the editor from his internal musings. "There's a rainbow!"

Hatori looked toward the horizon and sure enough, even though it was not raining where they were standing, there was a rainbow in the distance. Chiaki was just superstitious enough to believe that it was lucky to happen upon one, especially when the sun was shining where they stood.

"I guess that means we're going to get lucky tonight!" Chiaki burst forth with excitement.

In Hatori's mind he had a hard time keeping a straight face at the other man's lack of understanding what he'd just said. Then again, Chiaki wasn't exactly a gutter-minded individual. Hatori would leave that description to Isaka; after all he had found a camera in the motel room he and Chiaki had shared at during the last mangaka party.

/GG/

Once Chiaki had had his fill of the shrine and asked to leave, he and Hatori started back to the gate. Hatori was happy to be heading out of the place. There was only so much he could stand when dealing with public displays of affection from hundreds of lovers. It wasn't that they didn't have the right to display their love, but when he wasn't able to show the world how much he cared for Chiaki, it kind of made his heart heavy when seeing others.

Sure, Yoshino was coming around, and by the time they were about 65 he figured they'd be able to kiss one another in front of others. Of course that also depended on whether Japan had modernized with parts of the rest of the world. Eventually he hoped that the greater part of Asia would open up enough to allow lovers of all genders to share their love with the world. Also, the public displays of affection would be whether or not Hatori had the guts to actually do something like that.

"Thank you, Tori, this was a good day," Chiaki said happily. There was an air of giddiness in his voice that made Hatori feel elated.

"I am glad you found it to be acceptable, Yoshino," Hatori stated.

"Only…" Chiaki said humbly, lowering his head. "Maybe I wasn't able to get the full experience."

Hatori looked at the man walking next to him down the street toward the hotel. "What do you mean, Yoshino?"

"When we got up to the alter and I took out my coins, I clapped like I needed to, so the gods would hear me, and I bowed just as I should, but then there was nothing I had want for. I couldn't think of one thing I needed or wanted, so I didn't ask for anything. I should have asked for something for you though, Tori."

The admission sent chills up and down Hatori's spine. It reminded him of the first time he'd gone to a shrine after he and Yoshino'd become a couple. He'd been so happy at that time he'd thrown in his coins and completely forgotten to ask for any sort of blessings for those around him. Hatori ended up tossing the coins, clapping the third time, bowing, and walking out before realizing he hadn't spoken anything to the gods. At that point he'd looked over at his mother with his eyebrows arched and cocked his head. There was no way of explaining to his mother what had just happened, it just did.

Hatori reached over and ruffled the mangaka's hair with his hand. He then pulled the man into a hug, completely ignoring the yelp from the other. Chiaki eventually got over the shock and wrapped his arms around his lover. He could feel Tori's heartbeat in his own chest.

"As long as you're happy, Yoshino, then that's all that matters to me," Hatori said softly.

As quickly as the hug was initiated, that was how quickly it was over. Within moments they were walking down the street again, a few centimeters closer to one another, on the way to the hotel. Chiaki knew what was coming, the minute that motel room door was shut. Normally he would have blushed a bright shade of red, and he was sure his face was at least a little bit pink, but he actually felt as he knew how his lover felt in that moment. It wasn't very often that he gave in to the ferocity that Tori loved him with without a slight complaint, but he knew the minute they were in that hotel room, he'd seek out the other with that same ferocity. Maybe it was the shrine, or the fact that he realized he had nothing to wish for, but he'd be damned if he didn't desire his lover as much as Tori desired him.

It wasn't until they had reached the door that Chiaki felt an urge he'd never had before. He looked at Hatori with wide eyes and felt the blood rush to his face faster than someone can blow out a birthday candle. Even the very idea of him doing 'that' to his lover was something he'd only dreamed about. Yes, he'd had dreams before, but never had there been a time when he'd been brave enough to act them out.

"Uh, Tori?" he asked sheepishly when the door to the hotel room was closed.

Hatori looked over at Yoshino and immediately thought the man had a fever. He placed his right hand to the other's forehead and his left to the nape of the neck.

"Are you feeling sick, Yoshino," he asked in concern. "You look flushed."

"N-n-n-…" Chiaki stuttered and put his hand to his mouth as he gaped like a landed fish. "No, I just thought that I would…" he broke off a little bit before slapping himself in the face.

"Yoshino!" Hatori cried, in confusion and worry as he grabbed the other's hands. Perhaps the exercise had really affected the other man's mind.

"No, Tori, let me say it!" Chiaki snapped with certitude. "Let me kiss you, down there." He pointed to Hatori's crotch.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what Yoshino was getting at and Hatori just about had kittens when the other man made his statement. For a moment he wondered if his lover was sick in the head. He reached over and tried to feel Chiaki's temperature again only to have the man grab his hand and push it away.

"Yoshino?" Hatori was good at conveying entire questions with the use of only one word.

Chiaki stared him down, with butterflies in his stomach. "You always do things for me, Tori. L-let me do this for you." It wasn't a demand, nor was it in the form of a question.

"Are you sure?" Hatori asked, completely overcome.

"I'm not some virgin, Tori," Chiaki snapped. "I know what I want, and right now I want to make love to you with my mouth."

Hatori's eyes went wide as Chiaki's hand went to his mouth. It was in that moment that Hatori realized that maybe there was something to the superstitions of shrines and good-luck charms. Here was his boyfriend fulfilling his wish. Hatori had wished for his lover to know what he wanted out of life and not be afraid to take it.

Moments after saying what was possibly the most embarrassing thing he'd ever said out loud in his life, Chiaki found himself pulled forward and crushed into his larger lover's chest. He could feel the fast beat of Tori's heart as it raced, indicating that Hatori was surprised and most likely happy about the earlier declaration.

'_I should have wished for some extra confidence,' _he thought as he took hold of Hatori's hand and led him to the bed.


	14. You Do Strange Things to Me

Hello all, and welcome to another chapter of Bound. As a reminder, next chapter is not all fluff, like some of these are. It's got some rather depressing, for this series, topics. You have been forewarned. Another warning would be that this one included my crappy version of lime. It's not explicit since I don't want to change the rating. Aside from that, please heed the warning that this story isn't a kid's story. Thanks.

/GG/

Bound

You Do Strange Things to Me

The day had been relatively quiet because Yoshino'd been called in to speak with Takano about an upcoming set of chapters. Hatori had offered to come, but Takano ended up saying that they'd get more done if he wasn't around. Normally Hatori Yoshiyuki would insist on being there to ease the mangaka's shyness around the head editor, but even Yoshino was adamant he'd be able to handle such a simple thing on his own. So, Hatori found himself working from home on a few other mangaka files he'd received.

Since one hyperactive man wasn't begging for attention, Hatori had been able to do quite a bit with regards to his other requirements as well as cleaning the apartment. Aside from finishing three different series, he'd managed to clean out the refrigerator, scour the bathroom, clean the kitchen from the mess Yoshino had created while trying to make oatmeal, and dust the entire apartment.

After the other showed up at his house he'd had every intention in mopping the floor while Chiaki showered or maybe even went to sleep. After pulling the all-nighter he'd done the night before, he was sure Yoshino was going to end up passing out as soon as he entered the apartment.

In actuality, Hatori wasn't even expecting the mangaka to grace him with his presence that evening. When Yoshino was the walking dead he tended to go to his own apartment and sleep for a few days; or until Hatori felt the need to go wake him up. The editor was more than willing to let the other out of his sight in order to ensure the smaller man slept a little. If they ended up at one another's apartment with each other then it usually ended up with them doing various activities that ranged from cooking to sex. Neither of those was something Hatori thought the other would be up for that evening.

Hatori walked back to his table and started to pull out the next sets of mangaka files to read through and correct. If the other was going to come to his place, he'd be there within the hour. The more he finished, the sooner they could both sleep.

/GG/

"Thank you, Takano-san, for giving me this information. I will see what I can do," Chiaki said humbly as he stood in front of the head editor of Emerald.

"I know I can count on you, sensei. You're a good man and a good friend, I appreciate your assistance in this matter," Takano said with a dazzling smile that made Yoshino feel uncomfortable.

He wondered if the man could move anyone with such a smile. Hatori certainly never smiled like that. Hell would freeze over before his lover emitted such a spectacle.

With one last nod, Yoshino stood up and left. He'd actually considered going to his own place, but after his conversation with Takano-san, he knew he needed to see Tori. Nothing was more important to him than that man and he aimed to prove it when he reached the apartment.

He could feel his heart beating in his chest as he made his way closer to his home away from home. In truth, the place where Hatori ended up was his home. Whether they be at his or the editor's apartment didn't matter, as long as they were together, Chiaki was home.

/GG/

Hatori was sitting on the floor of his apartment, sorting through papers when Yoshino burst through the door with a look that could only be described as confused and pissed rolled into one. He raised his eyes at the other's entrance and then looked down to see the man hadn't even taken off his shoes before barging in on him.

"Yoshino?"

"Hatori Yoshiyuki!" Chiaki cried as he held a piece of paper, completely crumpled, in his hand and fell to his knees in front of the startled man. "What is the meaning of this?" He thrust the paper into Hatori's face.

Hatori took the paper from his overly excited boyfriend and read over it, eyes bugging out of his head and face turning a bright shade of pink. This had to be one of the first times in his adult life where he was acting more the uke than Yoshino did. He was completely embarrassed.

"It's a letter, congratulating me on a job well-done and an option to become the head of a new department."

Chiaki eyed his lover and scowled. "I just spent two hours with Takano-san. He told me how this was not the first offer you'd received. And how you keep turning down promotions to stay in his department. Is he that important to you that you don't even want to better your situation?"

Tori wanted to laugh at the man's innocence. He couldn't though, because to him it really looked like Yoshino didn't know the real reason. Sometimes when Chiaki became like this he didn't think straight. It wasn't that his lover had any problems with understanding, but at times he was too close to the situation.

"Yoshino," he said, calmly. "Take off your shoes, and come sit on the sofa. We can talk like civilized people."

Chiaki grumbled as he went into the hallway to remove his shoes. He apologized as he reentered because of forgetting to remove them, and then sat down on the sofa. At that point Hatori stood up and sat next to him.

"Why didn't you take this or the other promotions?" Chiaki asked, softly but sternly.

"Because if I were to take the promotion I could no longer be your editor."

Yoshino nodded. He understood exactly why Takano had mentioned the issue to him now. It made him feel like dirt to think he was the reason Tori wasn't moving up in the company. He'd never felt so ashamed than in that moment.

"I don't want to be the reason you aren't reaching for higher, Tori," he admitted. The thought of losing Tori as his editor made him sad, but it also was necessary for the other man's happiness.

"You are very kind to think of me, Yoshino, but I can assure you that I have no interest in moving from my current position," Tori said as he ruffled the mangaka's hair.

"Tori," Chiaki snapped, as he brushed the hand away. "I don't want to keep you from being happy."

With those words Hatori realized exactly why Chiaki had been so adamant about the situation. He knew that the other man had felt he held him back; part from things he himself had stated at times and part from what Yoshino let his own imagination come up with.

"Chiaki," Hatori breathed. "I am happy being your editor. Maybe it's me being selfish, but I don't want to lose that time with you. If you go with someone else that's less time I get to spend with you."

"Tori!" This time he said it in surprise and his eyes started to water as his chest started to feel constricted. How the man always made him feel like he was the only person in the world, no the only person in existence, was amazing to him.

"Chiaki, I know you think about me and what's in my best interest, but I can't leave you right now."

There, he'd said it. That was something he'd wanted to discuss with the mangaka anyway at some point. Eventually it would have gotten out that he'd turned down more than one promotion since Takano was always going after him to take over a new department. Sure, it was a little underhanded to send Yoshino after him, but his supervisor did have his heart in the right place.

"I want you to know, Chiaki, you make me happy and I promise, if I ever decide to move to a new department as head, I will let you know."

Yoshino nodded and leaned his forehead onto Tori's shoulder. He didn't feel nearly as sad as he had a few minutes prior, even if he did feel like he was hindering the other man.

"Promise me, Tori," he said as he leaned back and looked the other man straight in the eyes. "Promise me that you'll never let me hold you back."

Hatori reached for Chiaki's face and cupped it with his hand. Slowly, he pulled the man toward him and placed a kiss to his lips. He could feel Yoshino respond to the kiss, so he deepened it as he maneuvered himself onto his knees and helped the other man lie down on the sofa.

"You will never hold me back, Chiaki, never."

Again, Hatori lowered his face to his lover's and kissed him sensually. Eventually it would get to the point where they would end up without clothes and he would be feeling the other man from the inside. He loved the feeling of Chiaki surrounding him. To Hatori it felt like home when the other man had him encased.

"I love you, Chiaki," Hatori breathed as he started to reach for the belt buckle.

"T-T-Tori," Chiaki stammered, mostly from being out of breath. "Don't say such embarrassing things," he squeaked. In his head he was actually grateful that the other man loved him like he did. Tori was his family, after all.

"If you don't want me to talk, then do something about it, Chiaki," Tori deadpanned the challenge.

Yoshino's eyes flew open faster than he could think about the statement. How Hatori could say something like that in such a way was amazing, especially in the position they were currently in.

"U-u-um," the mangaka didn't quite know how to respond. He knew what Hatori wanted and he'd be damned if it wasn't something that he wanted too, but he'd been the leader only a couple of times in their sexual relationship. It wasn't something he'd been expecting at that point. He gazed at his lover and could see nothing but trust and adoration in those eyes. "O-okay."

Chiaki pulled the larger man to his frame and immediately felt the editor's weight on his body. It wasn't as if the man was heavy, but it was a little more difficult for them to move if he was pinned. What he needed to do was switch their positions.

As if reading Yoshino's thoughts, Yoshiyuki rolled himself onto the floor, taking the smaller man with him. He emitted a soft grunt of discomfort when his head hit the floorboards, which caused Chiaki to pull away.

"Tori, are you okay?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine, Yoshino," he said, gazing at his lover expectantly. This gaze caused the man to blush a nice shade of vermilion.

Chiaki lowered his face again into the crook of Hatori's neck, breathing in the scent that was the man. He'd never admit how much the natural musk that Tori produced turned him on more than any of the women he'd been with in his life. It was mesmerizing and addicting at the same time.

Yoshino sat up slightly and placed a kiss on the other's waiting lips. _"I love you, Hatori Yoshiyuki,"_ he thought as he continued with what they both wanted.

/GG/

Eventually Hatori had gotten tired of the floor and moved them to the bed, where they continued showing their various affections until they were both spent.

"You amaze me, Yoshino," Hatori said as he cuddled with the man he loved.

Chiaki blushed again. "You are embarrassing me, Tori."

"Having me say that embarrasses you after what we've just spent a few hours doing?" he asked, blankly.

"It's because I was caught in the heat of the moment," Yoshino all but cried, face burning. "I mean…we…you…uh…"

"Not very articulate right now, are we, Yoshino?" Hatori asked.

"It's your fault, you know," he answered. "You do strange things to me."

At this Hatori did chuckle, slightly. "You do some pretty strange things to me too, Yoshino."

With those words he pulled the man's face to his again and started to kiss him softly; erotically. He could tell by the feeling of a projectile on his leg that his lover was ready for another round and Hatori was more than happy to comply.


	15. Behind the Elevator Door

**WARNING! This chapter is not all fluff and sugar like some of the other chapters I have written. It is mostly drama and angst because I believe such things need to happen to make a couple stronger. I would classify the story as bittersweet. **

**Also, I have finally gotten hold of the Domestica pages in the extra book that came out with the seventh volume of ****世界一初恋****! I have to say, that they are the most saccharine pages of manga. So sweet I wanted to hug both Chiaki and Hatori like a kid hugs a teddy bear. Since I have discovered that no one is translating them and posting them, I will do my best to figure out how to scan and translate them for other Domestica fans to read. **

**I don't own. **

/GG/

Behind the Elevator Door

Each and every day of his life since the interloper had shown up ended up making Hatori Yoshiyuki walk on eggshells. He'd constantly worry, in the back of his mind, that at some point his best friend…his lover…would start to see the manga artist in a different light and decide Hatori wasn't the one he wanted anymore. There had been countless dreams on the subject, usually ending with the two running off together and leaving Hatori behind. The editor would never admit his fears out loud though, because he didn't want Yoshino to know what his biggest fear really was.

So, Hatori would bury the idea and go about his day like normal. Most of the time it didn't really matter because he knew Yoshino loved him more than the other would admit. He trusted the man with his life and because of that trust he'd had more days in which he didn't dwell on the subject of Yanase Yuu any more than necessary.

One such day happened to be the anniversary of Hatori and Yoshino's first volume debuting as an anime. Hatori had gone out and bought a bottle of Chiaki's favorite beverage and had a cake made for the occasion. He was actually rather looking forward to sharing the evening with his lover. Cake seemed to be an aphrodisiac for the two because whenever they had _it_ they usually spent the better part of the evening consummating, among including some rather kinky foreplay into the mix.

Why would this day be any different than any other day? Hatori didn't have a clue and wouldn't have thought of it had he not walked into Chiaki's apartment with his gifts and seen something that made his blood run cold. He couldn't even hold onto the provisions, which ended up falling to the ground and splattering or shattering, depending on which it was.

His eyes trained on the picture before him, wide and hurt beyond anything he'd ever encountered. Yanase was lying on his back and Yoshino was straddling him. Normally this would have just pissed the editor off, but the fact that Yanase was all but naked and Chiaki was also scantily clad didn't help the demons that took over every single one of his thoughts.

After the vision had been permanently etched into his mind, Hatori turned and disembarked faster than he'd ever moved in his life. He couldn't even think straight as he hit the elevator only to see Chiaki running after him, confirming his suspicions that he'd only been in his shirt and his underwear. The elevator doors closed before Yoshino even had a chance to speak; a fact for which Hatori was grateful. No way in hell could he deal with what he just saw.

/GG/

After he walked into his own apartment and dead-bolted the door, the adrenaline that had kept him sane disappeared and he slid down the door, tears streaming down his face. Openly crying was not something he did very often, but the picture of his beloved Yoshino, straddling his nemesis, was too much for even the most stoic of men.

A choked sob escaped his mouth and he could hear it echoing in his silent hallway. The sound reverberated off the walls and hit his ears, making the situation even more painful as he could see and feel his pain squishing his heart like a boot squishes an ant on the sidewalk. He'd have let his head fly back and shout in agony if he hadn't felt a pounding on the door.

"Tori! I know you're in there, let me in so I can explain!"

Yoshino, it had seemed, had followed the man to his abode. Hatori couldn't deal with the other right then. He knew if he let the man into his apartment he might do something he'd regret later on. The editor already had enough of his past plaguing his mind when it came to the person he adored.

Hatori slowly stood up and mustered up enough composure to flip on his intercom. He could see Chiaki standing outside; fully clothed. It didn't matter that he had just seen the man in a compromising situation less than an hour prior; he still loved Yoshino and his heart let him know almost instantly when the mangaka's face appeared on the screen.

"Please, Tori! I really need to talk to you!" Chiaki had very little patience at times.

"I don't want to do this right now, Yoshino. You need to walk away and quit making a ruckus outside my door or I will call the authorities!" Hatori shouted into the intercom.

Tears rolled down his face as he turned off the picture and stalked into his kitchen. Using every ounce of his strength he slammed his fists onto the kitchen counter. A vision hit his brain, one of Yoshino and Yuu fucking on the floor of the apartment. Both men were in ecstasy as they came together. The dialog that followed was enough to make Hatori all but wither and die. Chiaki telling Yuu that it had never been this good before and the other claiming the mangaka's lips caused a shiver to overtake Hatori's body. The pain of seeing his lover in a position like that was enough to make him want it to have never happened.

The editor couldn't deal with life in that moment. So instead of cleaning himself off, eating, or even removing his work clothes, he flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes. For the first time in his life he'd hoped the day was nothing more than a horrible dream. Something that wasn't, or never would be real.

/GG/

Three weeks later saw Hatori sitting at work with hollow eyes and the stomachache from hell. He'd kept his distance from Chiaki, only sending e-mail when necessary, and using the fax to make corrections. Normally he was very good at hiding his personal problems, but this time everyone in the department could see something was bothering him.

Surprisingly it was Kisa who cornered him to talk. It wasn't that Kisa wasn't a good person to confide in, but that man had more skeletons in his closet than every other man in the area, combined. So when the older man walked next to him on the way to the restroom, he was a bit perplexed.

"I don't know what's going on with you, but everyone can feel it when you walk into the room and when you exit," Kisa stated matter-of-factly, as if it were normal for him to be giving advice.

Hatori cocked an eyebrow and looked down at the other editor.

"What I mean to say is, you need to get whatever it is out of your system or Takano-san will be on your case next and we all know that won't be a party."

With those words, the smaller man jaunted off like he were a kid and Hatori walked into the bathroom. Kisa was right; he needed to speak to Yoshino and sort things out before it started to really affect his job. It wasn't like he hadn't been able to work passably the past few weeks, but if he sunk further it might end up hurting others and not just the two initial individuals involved. Hatori'd be damned if his inability to deal with what he saw was something he'd allow to fuck up his work life.

As he went to wash his hands after relieving himself, he got the second surprise of the day. Yanase Yuu sauntered into the bathroom, locked the door, and glared at him like he was a demon disguised as a man. Hatori let himself be caged because he felt he deserved whatever the other man was about to hurl at him.

But…Yanase didn't say anything, which started to make Hatori feel rather uncomfortable.

After another minute of silence, Hatori spoke, "Did you have something to say to me, or are we going to have a staring match?"

Yanase actually looked a little surprised to be invited to speak. "I don't want to know why you fell off the face of the Earth for almost a month; I just want to know when you plan on speaking to him?"

"And who might that be, Yanase?" Hatori feigned ignorance.

"You know damn well who I'm referring to!" he snarled. "I'm glad he's not in this room to hear this conversation."

"And I've been waiting to hear what you have to say," Hatori pointed out as he wiped his hands on a paper towel. "Since when have you known me to sit back and take anything from you?"

The taken-aback look on the other man's face almost made Hatori smile. He enjoyed it when he was able to make his arch-rival over-think situations. The two squared off for a few more minutes before the artist spoke up again.

"Look," Yanase said sternly. "What you saw and what you think you saw are two different things entirely. I am sure that they way we were situated was not a position anyone wants to find their _special friend_ in, but you're missing part of the story."

Hatori scoffed as he continued to glare at the other man. "And why are you here trying to justify yourself, Yanase?"

"Trust me, it has nothing to do with you. I can't stand seeing _my_ best friend in this zombie state. If there was any way I could take him from you after this I would, no question about it. But he's fixated on you."

"How can someone be fixated on someone and then end up in that position? He was on top of you, and neither of you were wearing enough clothes to make it innocent!" Hatori spat with anger. Talking with Yanase about Yoshino always seemed to end up in a battle for dominance.

"The reason we were half-naked was we were in the process of getting dressed, in two separate rooms, mind you. I was eating something and ended up choking. Chiaki ended up knocking me down, when he noticed I had stopped talking, and thought that was how you were supposed to perform the Heimlich Maneuver."

For a second Hatori wanted to form some sort of response to the contrary, but then his brain processed the information and found what he'd just heard to actually be logical. If Chiaki was startled he'd no doubt panic, which could easily have caused the man to push Yanase onto his pompous ass. The idea of the mangaka straddling another in that manner also brought forth a memory long forgotten when Yoshino'd done the same thing to Hatori when they were in high school after Hatori'd started choking on a lolly.

"Why are you trying to save the two of us, Yanase?" Hatori wanted to know.

"Because I love Chiaki enough to let him choose. You make that idiot happy for some unknown reason and far be it for me to come between my best friend and his happiness."

Hatori felt like scum. He'd wanted to speak to Yoshino weeks ago about the issue, but hadn't felt he could keep from demanding the other give up his friendship with Yanase. Seeing his rival standing in front of him humbled the editor to no end. When it came to his lover, he wanted to be the one and only in his life, and the fact that he had to bow down and accept that he would always have to share a part of Chiaki's heart with Yanase made him feel inferior for some reason.

"I don't like you, Hatori. That's a given. But I do respect your love for him. Just be aware that if you ever hurt him like this again, I swear to god, I will not take it lying down. He may never choose me, but I'd rather him not get hurt again."

The editor watched as Yanase left the bathroom and let the door slam on the way out.

'_You don't have to worry, Yanase,' _he thought. _'If I ever hurt him again it would mean I am not good enough for his love and I'd bow out gracefully.' _

Hatori knew it sounded pathetic and a little ridiculous, but he was ready to hand the man over if it meant _he_ wouldn't…couldn't…hurt Chiaki ever again. He'd tried that once and failed, but he wasn't about to let his disdain for Yanase get in the way. On that thought they were equal: Chiaki was the one to decide.

/GG/

After work, during which he'd apologized to his entire team for being undisciplined enough to let his home life affect his work life, Hatori headed toward Yoshino's apartment. Each step made him feel as if he were coming home. The weight he'd been carrying on his shoulders and in his heart seemed to be lifting with each passing mile. And while the disgust he felt for himself didn't diminish in the slightest, the overpowering of emotions to the contrary were keeping him from turning around and leaving.

Once he reached the complex his fingers halted over the keypad. For the first time in his life he wasn't sure if he should just walk in or if he should ask permission. After the stunt he'd pulled it was probably better to ask rather than just walk back into the man's life like nothing had happened. A moment of debate ended in his pressing the keypad and ringing the doorbell. A few moments later he heard the door click open and Hatori let himself in.

"Tori!" Chiaki cried when the stoic man finally walked into the mangaka's apartment for the first time in over three weeks. It really did feel as if he were coming home.

"Yoshino," Hatori nodded politely. He'd come to apologize and forgive what he'd seen because he loved the man and in that moment he realized just how much.

Chiaki had tears streaming down his face and a look of loss about him that made Hatori feel like he himself had just drowned a bunch of baby cats. He couldn't stay mad at his partner, but he could get angry with himself for making the man look as he did.

"I'm sorry, Yoshino," he stated simply as he looked at his lover with sadness. "I know it wasn't adult of me to cut you off for all this time. Yanase came to see me and told me what had happened. I believe him when he told me it wasn't what it seemed."

"Tori," Chiaki choked. Hatori could see tears mixing with nasal excrement covering the man's face.

"I left and stayed away because I was afraid I would give you an ultimatum that I don't want to give you, Yoshino. I don't want to ever tell you never to see that man again since he's your friend." He knew there wasn't much he could do to make up to the man for disappearing for three weeks, but he wanted to come clean. It was up to Chiaki whether the man would accept him back or not.

"Tori?"

Hatori cocked his head when he realized that Yoshino hadn't uttered one word more than his name. Had he really screwed with the mangaka's mind that much? He walked toward his partner and took out a handkerchief to wipe the other's face with.

"I'll understand if it's over, Chiaki," Hatori choked as he used his fingers to wipe the remaining tears from the other's eyes.

He then realized that the other man had all but lost the ability to speak, which was why he was only uttering one word. Chiaki walked off and grabbed an envelope off the bookshelf and handed it to Hatori. It looked to have been opened numerous times as the packaging was rather crumpled in spots. Hatori took the letter out and started reading it to himself.

_Tori, I know that I have done some pretty stupid things in my time. I also know that you saw something that would have made anyone question their relationship. I won't try to explain away what you saw, but I will tell you I am sorry I hurt you. I saw your look in the elevator as you disappeared and it broke me up inside. I can't live without you, Tori. So, please, forgive me. _

Even if the man hadn't apologized, Hatori would have forgiven him. He realized in that moment that their relationship could be rather volatile if not handled correctly. In order to make the relationship work they'd need to talk more and not keep things in the closet. Even if his biggest fear would need to be aired for the world to see.

"I'm afraid of losing you, Yoshino," he finally admitted after thirty years of life together with his best friend turned lover. "It's my biggest fear."

He watched as Chiaki put his hand to his chest, right above his heart, and nodded. "It's my biggest fear too, Tori, and I didn't even realize it until I saw you disappear behind the elevator door."

/GG/

**I realized I needed to put a piece in here that wasn't all fluff. I adore me some fluff, but I know that no relationship is perfect. This couple has had some pretty big bashing because of certain things that have happened in the light novels. I don't think they fall in with the character, but I do know that Hatori seems very territorial and he probably would want to separate himself from Yoshino if he felt he was going to hurt the man. **

**Also, I like Yanase. I think he's a brilliant character, so I am not going to write him like someone who is out to ruin Domestica's relationship. More, I think he's a sympathetic character who knows the one he loves doesn't love him, which keeps him from feeling whole. **


	16. I Get Lonely Without You

Here is a little bit of fun involving the boys when they are five. Now, just to explain a few things here regarding this story. Kids can be rather prolific, even at a young age. I believe that both Hatori and Chiaki were probably very talkative when they were younger, based on who they ended up as adults.

I don't own.

/GG/

I Get Lonely Without You

Everything was really big. Then again, when a person is five everything in the world seemed to be much bigger than it really was. In this case it was the tree that stood in the center of the kindergarten playground that Hatori Yoshiyuki and Yoshino Chiaki were looking up at with awe. In said tree was a bird's nest that had caught the taller boy's eye.

"Hatori, do you think there are birds in there?" Yoshino asked with a smile on his face.

"I don't know," Hatori answered. "It's too far up there for me to see."

"I know that, but I still wish I knew. I like baby animals. You too Hatori?"

The shorter boy half nodded, still looking at the bird's nest in the tree. "I guess," he mumbled before grabbing Yoshino's hand and pulling the taller boy away from the tree before he could climb up and get himself stuck.

Two little boys, dressed in matching blue smocks, trudged away from the tree and back toward the other children in their class of five year olds. A hand full of other little boys wearing similar smocks, and a dozen or so girls wearing pink, were playing on the playground equipment.

Not Hatori and Yoshino though.

For some reason, while Yoshino was extremely sociable, they tended to stick to themselves. Hatori had heard his parents talking and it came up that because they were neighbors it was almost like they were twins and didn't need anyone else. The boy didn't know what twins were, but if that's what he and his best friend resembled, then he didn't care. He adored Yoshino.

Occasionally he let the other go though, because his best friend really was a talkative creature. Hatori watched Yoshino run off to talk to some of the other boys and girls in the school. He observed, but didn't join in. Even if Yoshino invited him, he wouldn't because he knew that within a few moments the other would come back and find Hatori.

That didn't happen quickly, and soon Hatori started getting restless. So he went for a solitary walk around the playground, the noise of the other children playing being blocked out by the crunch of his feet stepping on the grass. Soon he found himself standing in front of the tree he and Yoshino'd been looking at earlier. The bird's nest was still really high up and for some reason it was calling to the boy.

Hatori looked around and saw that Yoshino was still playing a game with some other kids. Maybe he could climb the tree and get the nest before his friend finished the game. He could surprise Yoshino by giving him a present!

This idea made the youth grin, slightly, and start to look for a foothold on the tree. The faster he retrieved the nest the quicker he could give his present to Yoshino. Hatori could already see the other's face light up with excitement; a thought that made him want to move even faster.

It took him a few times of circling the trunk to find a place where he could find a set of foot and hand holds. He tested his first hand by pulling and using all of his body strength. Then he tested the foot hold by pulling himself up and resting his weight on the wood. It held, so he pulled himself up higher, using both his arms and legs to climb.

Every few seconds he'd stop and take a few breaths. He was slowly inching his way up the tree when he looked down and saw how far he'd climbed. The distance actually made him a little dizzy and he wrapped his arms around the tree and hugged his body to the bark. It felt coarse against his face, but it was enough to make him start upward again. There was a branch just inches away and he aimed to reach for it so he could pull himself up easier. Once he was on that branch he'd be able to climb the tree much faster.

Using every ounce of energy he could muster, Hatori grabbed the branch and pulled himself up.

"Ungh," he grunted as he wrapped his legs around the branch and looked at the playground from this much higher vantage point. Now, instead of everything looking really big, it looked a little smaller. Maybe if he climbed even higher the world would look tiny. Hatori was curious.

After a brief rest he stood up and started to climb the branches like one would a ladder. By that time there wasn't anyone else in the world but him and that tree. He'd even put Yoshino out of his mind for a moment until he reached the nest and looked down at the playground again.

"Wow," he breathed. The playground was smaller. He could barely make out Chiaki within the mass of other kids.

No matter how high up in the sky he was, he'd be able to pick Chiaki out of a crowd. For some reason his friend glowed a different color than everyone else. Soon Yoshino would have a bird's nest, which didn't have any baby birds, to go along with his collection of unnecessary stuff. Of course, half of that unnecessary stuff had been given by Hatori.

The boy took a moment to think about some of the things he'd given to Chiaki over the years. Another smile snaked its way onto Hatori's face as he grabbed the nest and put it in his pocket.

Then it happened.

"Hatori! What are you doing up there?"

Hatori looked down at his friend's franticly waving arms. Soon he was surrounded by every child in the kindergarten, along with a few of the teachers.

"Yoshino?"

When he looked down at his friend he started to feel dizzy. How had he gotten up so high in the first place? Hatori couldn't remember, but all of a sudden time seemed to slow down. He swung his leg over the side of the branch and got ready to start down, but missed his step and tumbled from his perch.

Hatori Yoshiyuki could distinctively remember every second of his fall like it took a minute. Each branch he hit, all three of them that slowed his descent, and caused him to change position slightly. For some reason he didn't feel any pain as he hit each branch. This confused Hatori as he knew when he was hit it should hurt.

He looked down and saw the ground coming at him rather fast. Hatori could also see Yoshino running toward him, in slow motion, like in those movies they'd seen together on the television. It was a rather weird sensation as he landed on his leg, which buckled, and he crashed to the ground.

Then the pain hit. Hatori did everything in his power not to cry in front of anyone, but he still ended up crying out in agony.

"…t-t-tori!"

The boy didn't recognize the name, so he looked over to see his best friend, crying worse than he was, and trying to speak.

"H-h—Tori!" Chiaki was at the smaller boy's side within moment and had him wrapped in a hug. He knew his friend was bawling and he was as well. Yoshino choked back a sob and could feel two arms wrapped around his back as someone tried to pull him away. "No, don't take me away from Tori! I love him!"

"Yoshino-kun, Hatori-kun's been hurt, we need to get him to a doctor!" a frantic voice called.

"No, I won't leave him!"

Hatori stopped feeling any pain at that point and held onto his friend for dear life. He wasn't going to let them take Yoshino away.

"Let us alone!" he called out.

The two sat in the playground hugging one another until the ambulance arrived.

/GG/

"Ugh," Hatori groaned when he opened his eyes. He looked at his surroundings and immediately knew he wasn't at home.

What surprised him was that Yoshino was sleeping in the bed with him and he himself was hooked up to quite a few wires. There were machines making beeping sounds next to the bed and he tried to think about why he would be in a hospital. Obviously something had happened to put him there since he didn't remember going to sleep in the hospital the night before.

"The nest!" he shouted suddenly.

Hatori tried to move a little and found that his leg was stuck. No, it wasn't suck. There was a cast on his leg. Then it hit him, much like the tree branches that hit him before. Hatori may have only been four, but even he knew that he was lucky not to have died, especially with all the times the tree hit him on the way down.

A tear started to fall down his cheek when he looked at Yoshino sleeping beside him. He didn't get to give his friend the bird's nest like he'd wanted to. Instead he'd ended up hurting himself.

"Tori?"

"Who's Tori?" Hatori asked. Yoshino was obviously awake.

"You are," the other child said as he sat up in the bed. "I told the doctor that was your name, but only I could call you that. You agreed with me…only I can call you that because I'm your best friend."

"Oh," Hatori didn't remember that, but if Chiaki said it, then it was definitely true.

"You falled from a tree, Tori. I was scared."

"Sorry," Hatori apologized, sheepishly.

Tears formed in Yoshino's eyes and started to fall, making Hatori's heart clench.

"Just don't do that again, Tori. You got really hurt and now you have to be in the hospital for a week. I can't come see you every day anymore and you can't come see me."

Hatori reached over and held Yoshino's hand. "But I want you to stay with me, can you stay over?"

"I don't know, maybe."

Chiaki pressed the intercom button and a nurse came in. With Hatori awake, he was forced to get off the bed while the doctor did an examination. Hatori's parents and his mother were called in to speak grown-up talk during the process. Some of the movements made Hatori cry out in pain, fresh tears streaming down his face. Eventually Yoshino'd had enough.

"You stop making him cry!" he screeched as he jumped onto the bed again to shield his friend from the doctor.

"Chiaki-kun," Hatori's mother said, "he's not doing it intentionally."

Yoshino's mother reached for her son, apologizing for his behavior to the doctor.

"No, the doctor is supposed to make people feel better, not make them feel worse!" He turned around and hugged his friend, who had stopped crying and had a strange look in his eyes.

The doctor laughed at this and ruffled both boys' hair. "You are right, the doctor is supposed to make people feel better. Now that I know where your friend is hurt, I can make him feel better soon."

"Really?" Chiaki asked.

"Really."

"Don't make him cry anymore. It hurts to see him cry, right here," Chiaki said, touching his heart.

'_I can't ever let him see me cry anymore,'_ thought Hatori. _'I don't ever want to hurt Chiaki.'_

"I won't cry anymore, I'm a big boy," Hatori said, sternly. As if to prove a point he moved so the doctor could finish the exam.

It really hurt, everything that the doctor did, but he didn't cry. He never wanted his friend to be hurt again because he was sobbing. In the end he'd been told he was very brave and because he'd been such a big boy his parents promised him anything he wanted.

"I want Yoshino to stay in the hospital with me until I am better," Hatori said, reaching his hand over and holding onto Chiaki's.

The adults spoke at length and during that conversation neither child said anything. They just held each other's hand and listened to what their parents decided. In the end, only because Chiaki wouldn't let go, Hatori was given his wish and they were able to stay together.

Later that night, after Hatori's mom fell asleep, Yoshino turned toward his friend and hugged him close.

"I like hugging you, Tori, you're so warm," Chiaki yawned.

'_I like hugging you too, Yoshino,'_ Hatori thought. "I am glad you got to spend the night with me. I get lonely without you."

"We'll be together forever, Tori, that way you don't ever get lonely."

Hatori smiled and yawned. "I like when you call me Tori. Only you can call me that."

Moments later, both boys fell asleep in each other's arms, a foreshadowing of times to come. Neither knew that more than twenty years in the future, they'd say similar things to each other. Innocent sayings can have multiple meanings, especially as a child becomes an adult.


	17. Being Embraced

Hello all and thank you for dropping by. I am glad to see so many people are reading this series. I hit quite a few milestones with the prior chapter. I appreciate all of the feedback.

This chapter is dedicated to Teabags, who requested a Christmas story. Hope it meets everyone's approval.

/GG/

Being Embraced

'_This isn't a normal day', _Chiaki scolded himself as he sat in his work room, working on his next set of prints. '_I can do this for Tori and surprise him!'_

Yoshino Chiaki was thrilled beyond belief that he had started to work on his next project days before the new year. He wanted to hand Hatori Yoshiyuki his completed frames, along with the other gifts he'd purchased for Christmas. The prior Christmas had ended up with neither in a good mood because they'd had to spend the entire day getting the late papers finished for the New Year's special release of the magazine. Because of the problems, Chiaki hadn't been asked to submit for this year. He didn't know who was more depressed about that news, he or Tori.

Chiaki hadn't been depressed for long though, as he watched Hatori go about his business as if nothing had changed. He'd decided he would do what he could to help Tori have a much better Christmas this year. Getting all of his work done early was the best way he could fathom to make his stoic boyfriend happier than the year prior.

"Wait, did I just say boyfriend!?" Chiaki could feel the shivers run up and down his spine, Only recently he'd been able to admit _that _word in his head. Saying it to anyone else, especially Tori was definitely years if not decades off.

Instead of dwelling on the fact, the mangaka went back to working on his final page. He hadn't seen Tori in over three days. Hatori was not going to be able to drop by until Christmas morning because of all the commitments dropped on him. Apparently Takano-san had been sent to America to corroborate on a project with a mangaka who had immigrated. The head editor had taken Onodera Ritsu, the newbie, with him since the corroboration was a tie-in involving a character from one of Onodera-san's mangaka and Takano-san's.

Thus, Hatori had stepped up and taken control over the department for a few days while Takano-san was gone. While Christmas wasn't necessarily the same type of Christian holiday celebrated in other parts of the world, Hatori had pushed the remaining editors to finish by Christmas Eve. Chiaki was happy the man knew how to take care of himself. He didn't want to see Hatori sleep deprived on a day they should be spending together. True, it would mean they wouldn't be doing any bedroom antics, but the man wouldn't really talk either. How boring. Plus, if Yuu showed up then a tired Tori would leave and Chiaki didn't want that, no matter how much he liked his friend.

/GG/

Surprisingly, with Hatori in charge, things in the Emerald department had run rather smoothly. Not that Hatori couldn't handle everything, but when the boss was away then people tended to play. None of the mangaka had procrastinated to the point where extra material needed to be used, and they'd be done before midnight. Hatori was happy, not that anyone could tell with his somber face.

"I'm actually glad you pushed us, Hatori-san. I will get home much earlier tonight than I did last year," Kisa said with a yawn. "But I have to ask," he added slyly. "Why did you push us to finish five days early?" He winked at the other editor, who promptly ignored the cheekiness the other was emanating. When no response was given, Kisa goaded more. "Do you have someone you don't want to miss seeing on this lover's holiday?"

There was still no answer from Hatori, but there was a response from Mino.

"Now, now Kisa-san, Hatori-san knows that _**both**_of us have someone to go home to," the editor said with a slight smirk.

Kisa immediately shut up and finished up his work.

"My kids will be thrilled that I can be home for Christmas this year," Mino continued gaily. "We may not be Christian, but they love getting little presents from me; though they prefer I am there when they open them."

"That would be the reason for pushing, Mino-san," Hatori stated, dryly. "No one wants to spend a day away from the ones they love."

Hatori noticed Kisa blush a nice shade of red, finish his last page, and leave as quick as humanly possible. Once the small editor was out of earshot, both he and Mino looked at each other knowingly.

"Thank you, Hatori-san. Last year was not a good year, so I am glad this year we can all have the next few days off," Mino said, as he too finished up and left.

With most of the lights off, and only a few more hours until Christmas Day would make an appearance, Hatori sat with his pile of chapters. Every single chapter was present and accounted for. All he needed to do was get the papers to the printer and then he could head off to Chiaki's place.

A smile graced his face at the thought of spending the entirety of Christmas day with the one he loved. In truth, he knew that Mino's family was going to be thrilled to have the man of the house home for this holiday. Kisa, while he didn't have kids, did have someone and Hatori knew that the smart-ass editor was just as grateful to be spending time with the bookstore worker. No one would ever know how Hatori discovered Kisa's affair, but he had, and he'd kept the secret from anyone who didn't already know.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

Hatori looked at his phone. Chiaki had sent him a text message.

_Tori, are you almost done? Will you be here soon? It's kind of boring without you here._

The editor shook his head. "No matter how old you are, Chiaki, you always act like a spoiled child waiting for a gift."

No matter how immature his lover acted, just the thought of seeing the man made Hatori's heart flutter in his chest. Spending Christmas Day with Chiaki was a top priority. Rarely, even before hooking up with his best friend, had they been able to spend the day together. Yoshino never went to his parents for the holiday, and Hatori was usually working. Whenever Hatori couldn't be with Yoshino, Yanase was always there.

This year was going to be different. He wanted to ensure that Chiaki had some good Christmas memories with him and not the artist. In his head, it was a vendetta between the two that Hatori was going to win. Chiaki'd already admitted that he would never be with another man than him, but the other was relentless and Hatori always worried that if Yuu couldn't have Yoshino, then maybe he'd do something to keep Hatori from him as well.

He responded to the text.

_I will be there in a couple of hours, Yoshino. If you want to go to sleep, feel free._

Hatori thought that would be the end of the text messaging, but within moments another came in.

_I don't want to go to sleep without you!_

The editor could just see the redness overtaking the face he fell in love with when Chiaki realized what he'd sent via the mobile waves. Another text immediately followed.

_I didn't mean it that way, I mean, It was a spur of the moment type thing. _

Hatori chuckled. "Who stutters like this via a text message," he asked no one.

Another message came in.

_I just mean that it's Christmas, and I want to spend it in bed with you._

Hatori, since he was alone, allowed himself to laugh. Every single one of these messages was going to be saved. He couldn't fathom getting rid of such cute things that were popping into his boyfriend's head.

Message.

_THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! _

Hatori responded.

_I understand what you are trying to say, Yoshino. _

This conversation was one of the best things to ever happen in Hatori's life. It was too funny and Hatori loved it when something funny happened. Yoshino was always making Hatori laugh internally. After a few text messages, the mangaka had managed to elicit a few chuckles out loud. No one else in the world could do that to him.

/GG/

Chiaki all but threw his mobile phone across the room after he'd sent that final text message to Hatori. No one was around, but he was highly embarrassed that he'd say unintentional things in writing rather than using his vocal chords. Most people were able to write things quite a bit better since it took thought process to write a message. Not Chiaki, though. He seemed to write before thinking just as much as he spoke before thinking. Now Hatori had highly embarrassing messages from him on his mobile.

That thought turned him beet red. Instantly he stood up, knocking his chair over in the process, and ran into his bathroom where he threw himself into a cold shower. Cold showers were great when he had an erection and Hatori wasn't around and his hands were too tired to jack himself off. Unfortunately the cold shower wasn't for an issue with his nether regions; it was to cool down his head. Chiaki hadn't even taken off his clothes. So when he realized what had happened, he saw that he was standing under his shower head, fully clothed, and even more embarrassed than he had been when he realized he'd sent off the text messages.

"Tori probably thinks I'm a child!" he all but wailed into the spray.

Chiaki stripped from his clothes and threw them into a soggy pile into the corner. Then he let the water overtake his naked form.

'_No one else makes me all tongue-tied like Tori, why?'_ Chiaki asked himself while he washed himself clean of the black ink on his fingers and his face. He'd never understand why he ended up with ink on his face at times.

'_Not even the girls from before I started dating Tori did this to me,'_ he thought as he put shampoo on his hair. '_I've known Tori forever, so what is it about him that's so different from other people?'_

Yoshino rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and grabbed the body wash.

'_He is a good looking man, I wonder if he ever gets other people to act like me? Hatori did say that he was good, but he didn't outright admit he'd been with other people until he told me the truth a while ago, so he hadn't actually been with other people, much.'_

Yoshino lathered down his chest and then hit his nether region and dropped the cloth when he realized that he was semi-erect. His eyes flew open and he looked down to verify what he'd felt. Sure enough, he wasn't lucid anymore.

"Tori did that to me," he whispered to himself. The admission finally made him realize that he was indeed turned on by thinking of his stoic boyfriend. The cold wasn't working this time.

"What do you expect me to do?" he asked his crotch. "Tori's not here to fix it and my hands are shaking from the cold water."

Of course nothing happened, except him becoming fully erect.

"Fine," he growled, turning the hot water on so he could warm up and take care of himself before Hatori arrived. If he did this now then maybe he could avoid having to do _that_ with Tori when the man showed up.

/GG/

Across the area, in his car, after dropping the prints off at the printers, Hatori was on his way to Chiaki's for twenty-four hours of time with the mangaka. In less than an hour it would be Christmas Day and Hatori had it in his head to make sure this day was the best day of both his and Chiaki's life. In the seat next to him say a cake, alcoholic beverages, and a gift he'd spent months working on.

Normally Hatori'd buy something for Yoshino that the mangaka could use, but this year he'd taken Chiaki's words from his birthday to heart and managed to acquire something of the more romantic nature. It wasn't as cheesy as offering him himself as a gift either. This time he'd put a lot of thought into the gift, gotten approval from the company and other parties, and made sure to clear his calendar. Hopefully it did the trick.

Just as he turned into the complex, Hatori was graced with a vision of Chiaki in the shower, moaning his name, and taking care of business. The thought caused him to slam on the brakes and drop his jaw. What in the hell was that? Sure, he'd always fantasized Yoshino masturbating and calling his name, but never so vivid. Suddenly he was just as hot as the mangaka had been in his imagination.

Slowly the editor drove to Chiaki's parking spot, hoping the feelings snaking their way toward his own need didn't cause any embarrassing occurrences until he was in the apartment. He parked the car, grabbed the gift and confections, and hauled ass to the apartment.

He was surprised to see that Yoshino wasn't sitting near the television or in the kitchen making a mess. Hatori could hear the shower in the bedroom running. That was the clue he needed, so he went to the kitchen to start cooking. As much as he wanted to go into the shower and make love with his boyfriend, he doubted Chiaki would appreciate him just jumping in, so he put his own desires aside and worked on their breakfast casserole.

Once the food was ready, he realized that the shower was still running. Maybe Yoshino had fallen asleep in the shower? It wouldn't have been the first time. Sometimes the mangaka was so tired, he'd take a bath and pass out, or hop into the shower, kneel down to clean his feet and end up falling asleep in some strange position.

Hatori didn't want that, plus it worried him that Chiaki would drown. At times he thought about having a GPS put into the other's body so he knew exactly where he was at all times. Now, if only the GPS could tell him if his lover were in the danger. That would be a great invention there.

Without hesitation, Hatori walked into the bathroom and was immediately enveloped by condensation. It made his shirt cling to his body and his socks were immediately soaked through.

"Yoshino?" he called out, not letting the panic in his mind overtake his calm exterior.

"T-T-Tori?"

Hatori could hear movement in the shower and he walked forward, only to see Yoshino sitting on the floor of the shower with his hands on his manhood.

"Yoshino?" Hatori asked a plethora of question in just that one word.

"I've been trying, but…" Chiaki lowered his eyes in embarrassment and scowled. "It didn't work," he admitted, turning scarlet with humiliation.

The sight might have made any other man cackle with amusement. Hatori knew how to remain calm and also knew that his poor lover was more than embarrassed. He needed to proceed carefully to avoid a blow out.

"Are you okay, Yoshino?"

Chiaki looked at Hatori with a slight look of confusion and disgust. Then he lowered his head and nodded. He felt Tori's hand on his head and lift his face.

"Are you okay, Yoshino?"

This time Chiaki knew he couldn't flub his way out of the situation. No, he wasn't exactly okay, and having to keep eye contact with Hatori made him come clean. He didn't want to admit it, but Hatori would need to do _that_ in order to make him feel better.

Hatori watched Yoshino shake his head. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what the mangaka wanted. Hatori loved that he had the effect on his boyfriend. He nodded his head and started to peel off his own wet clothes. Hatori Yoshiyuki was about to get his wish to make love with his boyfriend first thing on Christmas morning.

/GG/

Five hours later, and many times of holding one another, both men were in Chiaki's kitchen, drinking coffee and getting ready to eat breakfast.

"Tori, where did you find the recipe for this stuff?" Chiaki asked as he watched the casserole bake in the oven. "

"I found it on an American food website Onodera showed me. His family likes this combination of food, so I thought it was worth a try." Hatori said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Mug in hand, he sat on the floor in front of the oven with Yoshino, who had decided it was more entertaining watching the food bake than watching the television.

"What's in the recipe?"

"Italian sausage, potatoes, cheese, and ground basil."

Chiaki nodded and took a sip of his own coffee. The prior activities had made him ravenous and he was looking forward to eating.

"How much longer till it's finished?"

"We have another forty minutes, Yoshino."

"Really?" he asked. "Such a long time, what are we going to do until then?"

The first thing that popped into his own head was to have sex again, but he shook his head no and turned red. They could exchange gifts.

"Tori, I have something for you!" he gushed, excitedly. Chiaki stood up, put his mug on the counter, and raced toward his work room. Moments later he raced back into the room and crashed to the floor in front of the oven with his arms laden with boxes. "Here," he wheezed, breathless.

Hatori's eyes bugged from his head as he took in the sight of four boxes in his arms. Last Christmas Chiaki hadn't even remembered to get him anything, so he was obviously trying to make up for it.

"Thank you, Yoshino," he said with a slight smile.

"Open them, open them, open them!" Chiaki all but bounced on his posterior on the floor like an excited child.

Hatori slowly opened the first box and his heart all but stopped.

"Yoshino, this is…"

"I got next month's pages already done, before the month even hit!" Yoshino beamed.

"I don't know what to say to that," Yoshiyuki admitted. It was one of the nicest gifts he'd ever received from anyone.

"Open the next one, Tori!"

"Okay," he said as he picked up the next box. He couldn't see how anything could top Chiaki actually getting his work done on time, let alone early.

The second package was a weekend getaway in Hakone, complete with a room that had a private hot spring.

"I thought we could go there for New Year, since I knew you were going to finish everything before today," Chiaki grinned. "I booked us a room for two nights."

This gift caused Hatori's head to spin. This wasn't Yoshino going to the hot springs with Yuu, this was his lover taking him on a vacation and it had nothing to do with work.

"There's more!"

Hatori didn't have time to think. It was obviously just as much fun for Yoshino to see him opening the gifts as it was for him to see what the mangaka had gotten him. The next gift was a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. He eyed the gift before eyeing his boyfriend.

Chiaki turned red and lowered his eyes. "You kind of look…you know…good in these normal clothes. I wanted to see you in them."

Internally Hatori was giddy. If Yoshino was imagining him in certain types of clothes then he would try to wear them more often.

The last gift was hesitantly pushed forward and Hatori grabbed the package and opened the box. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at the picture that was housed within. Framed, and enlarged, was a picture of Hatori and Chiaki, as children, opening Christmas gifts together. It had been taken when the two were three years old. Hatori had only seen the picture a few times; it had been in his mother's memory book when he was younger.

He looked up at Chiaki with a look of wonderment on his face.

"I asked your mom for the first picture she had of the two of us and it was this one. I had it restored and framed. I know it's cheesy, but…"

Yoshino couldn't continue speaking as Hatori pulled him in and hugged him. During moment like this prior Chiaki would have struggled and tried to get away. This time he reached around and hugged his boyfriend back.

"Thank you, Yoshino," Hatori choked. The gifts had taken a lot of thought on the mangaka's part, which was something new. His little Chiaki was growing up.

After a few minutes of holding onto the smaller man, Hatori stood up and pulled Chiaki to his feet. He placed a chaste kiss on the other man's lips and pulled him toward the sofa.

"Here is my gift to you, Yoshino."

Chiaki's face lit up as he pulled open the wrapping and looked at the calendar in his hands. Once he saw that it was a calendar, his heart fell a little. Tori was always getting him something practical.

"Uh, thanks," he said with pretend excitement.

Hatori could see the disappointment on Yoshino's face. "Open it, Yoshino," he urged.

The man opened the gift and saw a heart around the second Wednesday of the month. He looked at the second month and saw the same thing. Each month had a heart around the second Wednesday.

Confused, he turned back to January and looked at the heart. Then he looked at the notes at the bottom of the page. It stated: Dinner at Casa Bonita at 7:30 pm. Movie, The Hobbit, at 9:00 pm.

Chiaki looked at the notes on other months. Each one had dinner and a show of some sort. At times the restaurant wasn't penned in, and at times the show wasn't penned in either.

"Tori, what's this?"

"I got permission at work to have one Wednesday a month off in exchange for going in on a Sunday instead. On those Wednesdays, I am going to take you out to dinner and a movie. On the days that the restaurant isn't listed or the show isn't listed, I wanted you to pick."

Yoshino was in shock. Hatori had changed his work schedule around so he could take him on a date, that he's put on a calendar, once a month.

"You will always be able to show up for this?"

"Yes, I have spoken with both Takano-san and Isaka-san. They agreed that I could be spared one Wednesday a month, since I know you have an easier time going out during the week."

Hatori was always thinking about him, in everything he did. Chiaki almost wanted to tear up, but found he couldn't even muster the strength for that.

"Thank you, Tori," he whispered, reaching his hand over and grabbing the other's with a slight squeeze. So far this Christmas was topping out not just all other Christmases, but all other days in Chiaki's life.

Yoshiyuki leaned in to kiss his lover, but stopped when he heard Yoshino's stomach growl. He leaned back with a slight chuckle.

"I guess feeding you is the first thing we should do. I will kiss you later," he whispered.

Hearing Tori say that caused Chiaki's body to shiver, more from excitement than anything. He didn't think he'd mind spending the day being embraced by the man he loved. Sure, he might fight it the whole way, but in the end, he knew he wanted that embrace as much as Hatori wanted to hold him.

/GG/

Author's note: Happy Holidays Everyone!


	18. Your Lover and Your Friend

Hello and welcome to another chapter of Bound. If you don't know the Japanese word for Bound, it's Kizuna. I love the way that word rolls off the tongue.

Anyway, this chapter is here because I am rather disheartened to see how some people on this (or any) site have taken to judging Hatori with only the meager knowledge they've been able to find on him. I am going to presume that most of the people on this site have yet to read any of Hatori's light novels in their entirety. It seems anyone can find the infamous rape scene translated almost anywhere, but they haven't read the remainder of the novel(s). Yes, the anime does follow what goes on in the novels, but leaves out some pretty deep introspection on both Chiaki's and Tori's parts. I have a copy of the first novel, translated into English. If anyone wants a copy of that, send me a PM with your e-mail and I'll happily send it off to you in PDF form.

The following story is my way of telling Hatori (or the writers of the original character since Hatori isn't exactly a living, breathing being) that there are people in this world who do take the time to look passed the outer shell and see the person inside.

So, I dedicate this to any and all who have seen what I see about Hatori, as well as both sensei who have brought such a deep character to life.

/GG/

Bound

Your Lover and Your Friend

Hatori Yoshiyuki had just had the longest day in the history of the world, figuratively speaking, of course. It wasn't the summer solstice, so obviously _it_ wasn't the longest day, per say, but it sure as hell felt like it. What he wouldn't have given for one of those energy supplements Americans were so fond of.

Rather than spend the night at either his home or Chiaki's, he'd ended up sleeping on the sofa near Emerald's office. This meant that when he'd finally fallen asleep about four in the morning, he was woken up at six by the cleaning crew. Unable to sleep after such an interruption, he went back to work after a quick face wash in the bathroom to make himself look presentable. His exhaustion continued until everyone else had shown up and he'd had to put on a professional face, a mask one might say.

After his co-workers had gotten into the swing of things he'd gone to check on Chiaki, only to find out that his lover hadn't even woken up yet. Normally Hatori would have given the other man a slight reprimand, but he let it go because he was too tired to do anything else. Unfortunately the lack of sleep had started to catch up on him, so he'd gone into what should have been an unused room and found Yokozawa-san and Kirishima-san in a compromising position, thus reiterating the thoughts he'd already had about the two a few months prior.

Eventually Takano-san had cornered him and as far as Hatori could tell, the conversation went a little something like this:

Takano – Hatori, you can't fool me. Go home and get some sleep. You are more than ahead on all of your mangaka this term, so taking a few hours won't kill you or anyone else.

Hatori – Leaving isn't an option right now. _Someone_ didn't wake up this morning and has probably put us behind.

Takano – I know you'll light a fire under his ass at some point. That fire will be a lot easier to take flame if you are fully awake.

Hatori - I can help out everyone else easier if I am present than if I am at home.

The conversation had lasted maybe a couple more incessant demands from Takano and a few more rebuttals from Hatori before the editor realized he was starting to see circles in his line of vision. So, being the good boy he was, he went home and passed out for a few hours. That sleep, while not exactly wonderful, had made all the difference in the world.

In the end, Hatori had managed to make it back to work for a few more hours, ensured that the one called Yoshino Chiaki had managed to get his frames in on time, and assisted others to make sure they would come close to meeting the deadline without having too much of a crunch at the end.

Of course, the day wasn't over yet. Countless text messages had found their way to his mobile from Yoshino, demanding that Hatori visit since they hadn't seen each other in more than a week. Hatori was never one to deny his lover's request, even if it was just because Chiaki had been lonely. The editor couldn't help but feel special when Chiaki asked him over because he missed him. Deep down he knew that there was no one else in the world Yoshino would ask in such a way. Sure, he had his friend Yanase, but without even enquiring on the subject, Chiaki'd all but blurted out that he spoke to Hatori differently that he did with anyone else. Again, this made Hatori feel all that more important; in other words, his heart cheered.

/GG/

Hatori stepped into Yoshino's apartment to find that one mangaka was missing. Normally on days when he was asked to come over, Chiaki was waiting near the door like an excited puppy waiting to see his master. Not that he'd ever show how happy that made him, whenever Yoshino was actually waiting for him, he always felt excitement in the pit of his stomach.

Then again, most of the time when he saw Chiaki his heart would tadump in his chest. Half the time he was surprised no one else had heard the ruckus his body made whenever the other man was in the vicinity. He'd honed a very good stage presence to ensure he was able to remain on top of things, figuratively, though literally came into play on occasion.

Hatori walked through the apartment, looking for its inhabitant. He stopped near the bathroom, bedroom, and even the balcony. When he finally did find Chiaki, he was surprised to see the man sitting in his workroom, papers spread out in front of him, drawing furiously.

"Yoshino?"

The other man looked up and grinned like the Cheshire Cat from _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland._

"Tori!" he squeaked excitedly, making Hatori gulp a little in surprise. "I'm glad you're here, I can show you what I've been working on!"

"You are working on more of your frames, I assume," Hatori said, bluntly.

"Yes, but I've decided to add a new character into the story!" Chiaki gushed. He jumped up and all but bounced over to where Hatori was still standing in the doorway.

"In the middle of a story arc?" Hatori's eyes went wide as he looked at the paper thrust before his face. Chiaki was good at barreling into things, but he usually conferred with both he and Takano before adding more characters to ensure they'd be popular.

"I was hit with inspiration and it couldn't wait. I needed to write this new character in. She's a friend to the main protagonist. I needed someone who could be her voice of reason."

Hatori looked over the frames and didn't see anything wrong with the new character. In fact, she did seem a good match for the way the story played out.

"I can't see anything wrong with these five frames, but maybe I should look at them and then we can send copies to Takano-san to verify?"  
Chiaki nodded, grabbed Hatori by the hand and pulled him toward the workstation. If they hadn't been in the process of working, Hatori would have been in a different dimension at Chiaki taking his hand; it didn't happen very often.

"This character is a kuudere, so she seems rather cold and stiff to many, but in fact she's the opposite to those who can see who she really is," Chiaki babbled as Hatori read through the mountain of frames. There was too many to put in one issue, so they'd need to spread it out into two or three. This epiphany of Chiaki's had gotten him ahead by three months, at least.

"When she's around anyone else, she seems cold and calculating, so she's the perfect vice-president and keeps the antagonist in line that way. People think she's unapproachable, but it's not that she's such a person, she's just been hiding something for so long that she had to put on a different face in order to function. Unfortunately, she wore this face so often, she's all but forgotten who she was before."

Hatori couldn't help but feel in awe at how much time and effort Chiaki had gone into creating a new character in such a short amount of time. He obviously was addicted to the idea of how well this character meshed with the story. Each frame was beautifully drawn, like he was drawing a lover and not some sort of manga picture.

"I've got a confession to make though, Tori," Chiaki said solemnly as he placed his hand atop Hatori's to keep him from going to another page. "I didn't create this character on my own."

"Did you get help from Yanase?" Hatori couldn't think of another living soul who would help him with his characters.

"No, Yuu hasn't been around. He's got someone, I think."

That was news to Hatori and he was a little surprised that Chiaki didn't seem to have much of a reaction to such a rumor. If it wasn't Yanase, then maybe it was a television show character that had inspired him.

"Did you watch some show with a character similar to this?"

"No, it was you, Tori."

Hatori could feel his heart all but stop. Without even thinking he started to flip through the pages again and compare himself to the girl on the page in front of him. He was grateful she didn't look anything like he did, but now that he looked at the pages, he was able to see the similarities. Was this how Chiaki saw him?

"I don't know what to say, Yoshino," he admitted truthfully. Hatori was in a mild amount of shock at seeing himself appear in a manga.

It made him wonder how others would view the character. Would they find her stone faced, boring, a waste of energy to create? He'd never really given much thought as to how he was viewed; Hatori wasn't out to impress anyone, he'd only had one goal in life and that was to be by Chiaki's side till they were both dead and buried. That goal still existed, only he wanted to be buried with him since it was doubtful he'd last if Chiaki had died on him.

"Do you think the readers will like her?" he asked, softly, still not quite sure how to respond. "You don't think they'll hate her?"

"I don't think she'll be overly popular like some characters, but I think there will be those who can relate to her. Everyone has some sort of past they are trying to keep from others. Hers is just a lot deeper."

Again, Hatori was surprised at how insightful Yoshino was being in that particular moment. Yes, he had been considered dim at times, but in truth, he wasn't stupid. How the two of them worked so well together was a mystery.

"I guess I don't see anything wrong with what you've got written. I'll fax this to Takano-san so he can give the final okay."

Chiaki nodded and followed Hatori to the fax machine where the pile of papers went through. Two minutes later, papers still being faxed, Hatori's phone rang.

"Hatori!" Takano snapped. "What in the fuck are you faxing me at two in the morning, a novel?"

"No, Takano-san, this is a new character development sketch and about forty pages of material incorporating this new character into the manga," Hatori answered calmly. He had been ready for such an outburst, especially since it was a lot of pages.

"Really?" Takano sounded very impressed as well as skeptical. "You managed to get him to come up with this in such a short amount of time?" Hatori could hear the rustling of papers in the background as Takano had started to sort through the pile.

"No, he did this on his own. I think it's good."

"Okay, let me look at it for an hour and I'll call you back."

"I understand."

Hatori turned off his phone and looked at Chiaki, who was expecting some sort of an answer.

"He needs time to sort through your mess of papers, so we need to give him an hour."  
"An hour, what are we supposed to do for an hour?" Chiaki whined, going from intelligent mangaka to himself in mere moments.

Hatori's eyebrows raised as he took in the sudden outburst from his lover and a slight grin played at his lips.

Chiaki took that sign to mean something completely different and started to sputter as he took a few steps back. "No, we are not doing _that_," he stammered.

This caused the editor to chuckle, slightly, and shake his head in amusement. "I wasn't actually thinking _that_ Chiaki. I don't think an hour would be enough if I finally got you into bed anyway."

Yoshino turned bright red and turned his face. "You say some really embarrassing things, Tori, jeeze."

An actual laugh shocked both parties. Yoshino looked, wide-eyed, at Hatori who seemed just as surprised at his lack of control. The last time he'd laughed, freely, in front of someone had been in high school.

"Tori," Chiaki breathed. He hadn't heard that laugh in such a long time he'd almost forgotten what it sounded like.

"Pardon me," Hatori murmured in embarrassment. It wasn't an often occurrence that he was thrown off-guard of his own accord.

"No, Tori…" Chiaki said softly, a smile playing at his features. "Do it again."

Again, two sets of eyes went wide as hands clamped onto Chiaki's mouth. This almost did make Hatori giggle slightly, but he kept his composure and just gave Yoshino a rare smile.

Hatori walked over to the smaller man and placed a hand against Chiaki's cheek. He could feel the warmth of his lover under the pads of his fingers. Without much thought he leaned in and placed a kiss on Yoshino's lips. When the other party didn't immediately back away he deepened the kiss and slowly licked Chiaki's lower lip; asking for entrance.

Chiaki complied and opened his mouth, but didn't let Hatori enter first. Instead his tongue shot out like a snake on the strike, and he used his own muscle to attack Tori's. The man did nothing but turn him on. He may not have said it out loud, but his body was more than capable of speaking for itself. Hatori Yoshiyuki was a magnificent creature and for some reason that person had chosen him.

The editor was the one to break the kiss first as he pulled back for air. "Chiaki, we can't do anything right now that might impair out judgment for when Takano-san calls." In hindsight, he was surprised he managed to get that out. Chiaki must have really been hard up if _he_ was the one to attack first.

Yoshino stumbled back, fell over himself, and landed on his butt on the floor with a loud smack. "S-sorry," he babbled in complete mortification. "I-I don't know what came over me just then. I mean…" he continued through labored breathing. "It was almost like someone, not me of course, since I'm not like that, but I was being…"

He couldn't get anything more out. The very idea that he'd attack instead of just ask was lecherous. Then again, when he was a kid, he was always quick to jump into things. Same thing as an adult, on some occasions. So, after getting used to their _situation_ maybe he was starting to let his own instincts take hold.

Plus, it was completely true…Hatori was beautiful and no woman ever made his body feel the way Hatori's did when…

"Argh!" he shrieked, scandalized.

Yoshiyuki was at his side in a moment. "Yoshino, are you okay?"

Chiaki took a few moments to compose himself and get perverted thoughts out of his head. "Yes?" It was answered in question form as if he didn't quite know if he was okay or not.

"Why don't I make us something to eat and we can watch a movie until Takano calls. I know you wanted to see _Warrior Panda_ and we weren't able to in the theatre. I called in a favor and got a copy before the DVD goes on sale today."

Now, with many adults, it takes more than a microsecond to go from one way of thought to another. Not so for Chiaki. Even though he may have been embarrassed beyond belief one moment, the next he could be like a little kid. This happened to be one of those times.

"Really!" he shouted, standing up and accidentally kneeing Hatori in the chin on the ascent.

Hatori sat back on his own rear end and rubbed his smarting jaw.

"Tori!" Chiaki wailed shrilly. "I'm so sorry!"

Inside Hatori started to laugh again. "It's okay, Yoshino. I am used to this type of behavior from you."

/GG/

With just the mention of the movie the two were back to their old routine. Chiaki was thrilled Hatori was over and that they were eating popcorn and drinking beer while watching the movie. Hatori was stoically sitting next to the eager mangaka on the sofa while the movie progressed. In truth, it wasn't the worst movie ever to come from America, but it was definitely not geared toward the more refined sense of artistic mind. While Hatori would never claim to be above Chiaki in that sense, it was clear the movie was definitely aimed at him and not the editor.

That fact didn't bother Hatori though. He just liked to see Chiaki so excited over something. It had been a rather eventful day, even if it was turning out to be the longest day in history. Yoshino had gotten excited, twice, in the span of an hour. While the movie was a good bit of excitement, the fact that his boyfriend had managed to create a character in his mental image was impressive. Very few people gave Chiaki the kudos he deserved and this time he'd outdone himself. Not only was Hatori shocked as an editor and excited as a lover, but he was proud as a friend. That was the bond that ran deepest through them; friendship.

While in his musings, Chiaki sat back against the sofa so their hands were just barely touching. Both men knew they were holding onto one another, but neither made any move beyond that. They just enjoyed the companionship the other brought.

Of course, when the phone rang, Yoshino jumped and scooted to the far end of the sofa like he'd been a kid caught with a stack of porn under his bed.

"It's just Takano-san, Yoshino. I hardly think he's going to judge us with the way his love life is," Hatori stated bluntly.

"He has a love life?" Chiaki blurted, before realizing what he said. Of course a handsome man like Takano had to have had a girlfriend. He'd be quite the catch, almost as good a catch as Tori.

Hatori rolled his eyes at the man's naivety. Sometimes things really did go over Yoshino's head.

"Hatori here," he stated, calmly, into the phone.

"Hatori, I have just finished going over these pages and I am quite surprised," Takano jumped in from the other end of the line.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Hatori asked, looking over at Chiaki, who was watching with an eager expression on his face.

"I am glad you sent me these before he got any further."

This made Hatori think that there wasn't much hope in this new character being brought into the already overly popular series.

"Mainly because we have so much of her and not enough of the other characters. He's going to need to work rather hard to add the others into what he has here already."

If one has ever felt the feeling of flying through the air in a free manner, then one can imagine how Hatori felt when he got the un-communicated agreement that the character had potential.

"I can see a whole new group of individuals opening up to this story. She gives this overly cutesy manga a little bit of depth. I can't wait to see how she is written in the future."

Hatori was still being a realist with regards to Chiaki's new character, so he continued the conversation. "You don't think she'll turn readers off?"

"I can see your point in that there may be some who are not capable of handling her _mature nature_ but by allowing her to grow in the story, it may help some people see that not all characters are cookie-cutter," Takano continued. "In fact…," he added, "this character bears a striking resemblance to you, Hatori."

He wasn't sure why, but having Takano come to that conclusion almost made his blood run cold.

"Okay," he said, perplexed.

"I mean, she has one whole smile in this entire mess that you sent me and it gave me the creeps."

After that last bit, Hatori understood where Takano was coming from. The one time at work he'd even thought of smiling it had weirded Takano out a little, so obviously this character was exactly like Hatori.

"I'll make sure to let Yoshino know, Takano-san."

"Thank you. Tell him great work and I expect him to get his material in on time this month seeing as he was able to come up with all of this in the course of one afternoon."

Hatori smiled. "I'll be sure to tell him." The smile quickly disappeared when he hung up the phone and turned on Chiaki. "Takano-san has given the go-ahead, but since you were so gung-ho on this new character, he expects you to turn in your manuscript on time this month," he stated, all business. "I, on the other hand, expect it to be turned in on time for the next three months."

Yoshino didn't even have a chance to smile at the news that his new character had been approved. He was caught off-guard by Tori's cold attitude.

"But Tori, what if something happens and I can't get it finished?"

Hatori walked over to the sofa and lowered his face to a few inches from Chiaki's in a rather menacing fashion. The mangaka was actually a little too spooked to move back.

"If you can come up with all of this in the course of one afternoon, then you are more than capable of not missing a deadline for three months. I'll happily call Yanase and inform him of this new character and how you were able to come up with this on such short notice. He may be busy, but I can see him backing me up on this. If it's as you say, he has someone, then he's probably not going to want to leave said someone and come to your aid in the middle of the night anymore."

Chiaki gulped at the truth behind the threat. All he could do was nod and look away. When he felt Hatori back off a little he turned and looked to see the man was still hovering, but he had a slight smile on his features. Moments later a hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair.

"I'm proud of you, Chiaki," he said slowly as he sat down. "Not as your editor, but as your lover and your friend."

No matter how many years Yoshino had known Hatori, he would never get used to the one-liners the man used without even realizing. It was almost an oxymoron in a sense. Hatori came across as a cold and uncaring piece of marble statue to most, but underneath was the kindest and most caring individual in Chiaki's existence. At times he was glad Hatori didn't share this part of himself with anyone else. The mangaka was selfish and wanted to keep Tori all to himself.

/GG/

**Author's Note**

I wanted to put a brief author's note after this chapter to thank everyone for reading. I appreciate seeing how many people step onto this story.

In other news though, I wanted to let everyone know I am back at uni after quite a while and don't know how often I'll be able to update anything, so I am sorry for that.

As well, I was a little disappointed to see how many stories on this site that have almost no plot and are only smut seem to get so many faithful followers. I ran across a story that has some beautifully written smut with an incredible plot called Princely Plot Bunny, by Risque Tendencies. This story is AU (in that there is male-preg, and has the couple Poetica (Misaki and Haruhiko, rather than Usami) along with others from Romantica and SIH) and is wonderfully detailed and vivid. I know many people would rather have instant gratification and read 2000 words about sex rather than 10000 (per chapter, almost) where maybe only 1500 of those are sexual, but if anyone can handle such an accomplishment, I recommend checking it out. It's a fabulous story.


	19. Never Look Back

**Hello all! I am bolding this opening paragraph because I feel it's important. I wanted to thank everyone for reading this story. I got quite a few PMs from individuals wanting to read the one Yoshino Chiaki no Baai novel I have translated (it wasn't translated by me, I just have a copy of it), which makes me happy since that means there are others out there who are interested in seeing what isn't available via the anime. Spread the Hatori love. **

**I also wanted to thank everyone who is reading this series. While it's probably not anywhere near as impressive as the more prolific authors on this site or in this fandom, I hit over 10k for views for this story. That just amazes me. I was not expecting that. Since the last chapter I've also hit over 100 reviews, which is something I've never hit before either. I am glad this story is so popular and that others want to see more of how I view Hatori. **

/GG/

Bound

Never Look Back

To say that Hatori was angry was an understatement. Even a rabid wolf would have given him a wide berth had they happened upon one another in his current state. Add to the mix the whole stressed, sleep deprived, and fighting a cold, equaled up to one immensely grouchy man who was hiding it under an exterior of complete calm and composure.

Of course, the reason for his current mood knew that beneath the mask lie a volcano ready to explode, sending waves of energy out in the *pyroclastic sense. Chiaki knew he was at fault, and that he usually was when Hatori was in such a mood. At least the man was able to keep others from feeling his wrath, though Yoshino knew his lover well enough to know he was going to be in a lot of trouble if he didn't get his work done in a very short amount of time.

One harried editor sat at a desk, placing dialog onto Yoshino's latest pages. They still had dozens of pages left and at least ten that needed to be inked. With only five hours left that meant they were pretty much in deep shit. Even with everyone who was working on this special issue, Chiaki wasn't going to get everything drawn if he didn't buckle down and work his ass off.

So, for the first time in his life when Yanase Yuu walked into the room, a du-rag on his head and a scowl on his face, Hatori breathed a sigh of relief. So did everyone else.

"I _was_ busy," Yanase said, shortly, as he sat down and took out his pencils.

Chiaki lowered his head in shame and handed the russet-eyed artist the pages where he needed backgrounds done. Hatori could tell Yanase was actually holding in his annoyance at the stack of papers presented him.

"What were you doing?" Yoshino asked, working intently on his foregrounds.

Without missing a beat in following the outline Hatori'd sent out for him to follow, Yanase started drawing and answered. "Ueda-Sensei asked me to illustrate the cover of his new novel. I was working on that when Hatori called and asked for help," he replied. "Luckily the novel's cover isn't due for another two weeks, so I could put that on hold and come save your ass…again."

Yoshino thought for a moment as he drew the antagonist's face on one still. "I heard that novelists are worse at deadlines than mangaka. Usami Akihiko is…"

Hatori jumped in with a snap. "Usami Akihiko is _not _Yoshikawa Chiharu. While both of them seem to procrastinate like it's going out of style, _some_," he accented the word to indicate the author Yanase had been working with, "know how to get their stuff in on time because they seem to know that _they_ are not the only people involved in putting out a piece of work."

Immediately the room went quiet and Hatori could feel his own heartbeat in his chest. He looked up and saw Yoshino looking dejected. Yanase's eyes were wide, but he could tell the man agreed. The other artists didn't seem to know how to respond. Hatori could see them agreeing, but not wanting to because they didn't want to alienate their boss in any way, especially when they had come so far and were so close to the end.

Normally he was good at holding his frustrations as Yoshino's inability to stay on track, especially when other people were around. That didn't seem to be happening and he knew he needed to get out of the room or he'd end up keeping Chiaki from finishing. Sometimes all it took for the man he loved to hit a hot spot was for the editor to make himself scarce for a time. He could easily take the completed pages and work on them in the next room.

Without an explanation, the man stood up and left the room with his materials. Once the door shut behind him he actually expected to hear some sort of discussion, but none came, so he walked down the hallway to Yoshino's front room and made himself comfortable on the sofa. Within moments he was working on getting the words placed on the sheets correctly.

When he was focused, Hatori was extremely efficient. It didn't take him long to have the entire stack done. His watch told him that he'd been working for half an hour. While his work was done though, his mind was still a little stressed about his outburst and he didn't want to affect the group by walking into the room again, thus, he let his mind wander.

His mind took him to the first time he remembered snapping at Chiaki for procrastination issues. It had been years ago, when they were in first year high school. For some reason, while they always went to the same school, they never ended up in the same class. Whereas Yoshino ended up in Yanase's class every single term keeping the friends together, fate seemed to want to keep him and the one he loved apart. First year middle school saw Hatori in class 1-A while the other two had been in class 1-F. They were so far away from one another.

That particular day had been a day in which Yoshino and he had been planning to visit the museum's special exhibit. Every year, for two weeks, the museum had a special exhibit and Hatori had made it a point to invite Chiaki every year, especially as it usually involved more popular culture than past. Afterward the two would go to the other parts of the museum and reminisce about the times they'd spent there together.

They hadn't missed their date in seven years, until the year Chiaki and Yanase had been working on a project together. The first day of the special exhibit was the first day of the project, so Hatori didn't press. He had asked Yoshino to save Friday of that week to go to the museum. Yoshino had immediately agreed. That made both boys extremely happy.

Friday rolled around and when Hatori had gone to pick Yoshino up in his class, he and Yanase were giggling with some girls. It was at that point that Chiaki changed the day to the Monday following so he and Yanase could work on their project. A rather disappointed Hatori then went home by himself and did very little for the weekend.

Monday came and went, as did Tuesday and Wednesday. Each day he'd been told they could go to the museum the following day and that date was subsequently cancelled. All because the two hadn't finished their project. On Thursday of that week, rather than enter the classroom where they were supposed to be working, Hatori watched from outside like a stalker. Not once did the two work on their project. Instead they spent their time reading manga and flirting with girls.

That was the day Hatori went home, not morose, but annoyed. He'd done some digging and found out quite a few of the other students had finished their projects within a week or even less. In total, the project should only have taken three or four days. Instead of working, it was apparent that Chiaki and Yuu had spent the time goofing off and procrastinating. Or…had decided he didn't want to go to the museum and was using the project as an excuse. Hatori had hoped it was the first and not the latter.

It was Friday, the last day of the museum's special exhibit that Hatori actually blew up.

/GG/

_He was hurt and felt rather betrayed when he walked into the classroom. Seeing that Yanase and his best friend, along with a number of girls, were talking over manga and not working on homework made him feel as if he didn't matter in the slightest. All he knew was that he felt as if he was losing his best friend. _

"_Yoshino!" he snapped, without actually meaning to. _

"_Oh!" Chiaki had said, happily. "Tori…"_

_Hatori didn't even give the other a chance to finish. "I know you are busy, but when you make plans with a person and procrastinate on something that could have been done earlier, you are disrespecting that person."_

_He could see Yoshino's face visibly fall_ _as the girls in the vicinity disappeared rather quickly._

"_I won't bother you about it anymore, Yoshino. Just get your priorities straight."_

_Hatori didn't even give Yoshino a chance to apologize, if that was even going to happen. He did an about face and walked from the room, trying to keep his misery from showing. Instead he grabbed his shoes and headed over to the bus stop. The museum was only a half hour bus ride away. He'd go by himself since he didn't want to have to explain to his parents why he didn't get to see the exhibit. _

_Once on the bus he let his mind clear and buried his head in his hands for a time. In truth, he almost wanted to cry, but that wouldn't have helped the situation, so he pushed back his emotions and let his mind disappear for a while. _

"_Is this seat taken?"_

_He hadn't expected anyone to speak to him in this state, so the voice brought him out of his funk rather quickly as he looked up to see a girl with long brown hair and big eyes looking at him. She was wearing the same school uniform, so she obviously went to the same high school. _

"_No…" he said, sliding over and letting her have the aisle seat. She sat down and smiled. _

"_I'm Hoshino Sanae, you're Hatori Yoshiyuki, right?" she asked, making polite conversation. _

_Hatori nodded. "That's correct, but I'm afraid I don't know who you are."_

_She laughed slightly. "That's okay Hatori-kun; I'm not in your class. I'm in 1-B, so it's not a surprise. After all, there are almost thirty-five students in each class, so it's hard enough keeping up with the classmates in our own rooms let alone others."_

_This was true and Hatori nodded, sitting back and letting the conversation take him away from his annoyance. It would be a good distraction._

"_My friends and I were on our way to the museum, actually. We have a class project due for next week to see the special exhibit and put together a presentation on the contents. I kind of got separated from them though," she commented as the bus got closer to the destination. _

_Hatori didn't believe in coincidences, but he was a little surprised to see they were headed to the same place. _

"_I'm on my way there, myself. Though, I'll probably go through the museum afterward. I do that every year, actually."_

_Hoshino turned toward him in interest. "Really, I haven't seen the rest of the museum in years. I should do that at some point."_

_True, she wasn't Yoshino, but she was there, and while Hatori would have rather kept his promise to his best friend, he realized in that moment that it wasn't going to work anymore. Chiaki had other people in his life while Hatori didn't. He'd spent years with just the other in his line of sight, no one else had mattered. The gods had obviously decided he needed more in his life or Hoshino-san wouldn't have shown up right when he needed a change. _

"_Would you like to accompany me through the museum after you meet up with your group-mates?" he asked before he could change his mind. After the words came out he could feel the betrayal at not going with Chiaki like he did every year. _

_Hoshino brightened. "Sure, but you can visit the special exhibit too, with my group I mean. There are four of us in the group, so one more will just make it all that more fun."_

_A slight smile made its way to Hatori's face, but he kept it hidden behind his hand. Changes were good._

/GG/

That bus ride had introduced Hatori to his girlfriend of almost three years in high school. He wouldn't have denied that she made him happy, even if he wasn't Chiaki. If anything, she did give him something else to think about. So they had continued dating until she had brought up the subject of sex. Once she appeared to want such actions, Hatori had politely declined and they broke up.

After his mind came forward, Hatori smiled slightly, the same smile he used to give Hoshino-san. He'd have stayed in that state for a while had Chiaki not all but shouted in his face.

"Tori!"

The editor's head turned quickly and he looked over at Chiaki, who was rushing toward him with a worried expression on his face. When the mangaka grabbed his hands he saw why. At some point in his musings of the past, he'd sliced his finger on the blade used to cut out dialog. He dropped the blade to the floor and was about to wipe his finger on his shirt to avoid getting blood on the stills when he saw that Chiaki had taken his finger and stuck it in his mouth.

"Yoshino?"

Chiaki took a sock he'd had stuffed between the cushions of the sofa, and wrapped it around Hatori's finger.

"What were you thinking about that would make you zone out enough to cut yourself?" Chiaki asked, pulling Hatori to his feet and pulling him toward the kitchen.

Absentmindedly, and feeling a little like a child with his lover for the first time, Hatori replied, "I was thinking about the first time I went to the museum without you."

"Oh." The hurt in Yoshino's voice was malignant and it made Hatori feel awful for bringing that issue up.

"I'm sorry," Hatori said as his finger was put under the running water in the sink. "I'm sorry for breaking that tradition and for snapping at you, twice."

"Twice?"

Hatori gulped some air as he began to comprehend just how sweet Chiaki was being in that moment. Here was his oblivious boyfriend, washing a slice in his finger with the utmost care in the world. Why that was erotic to the man he had no idea.

"Back then and just a short time ago," Hatori answered softly.

Chiaki looked up from his doctoring and met Tori's eyes. Then he smiled in a way that only he could. "I deserved it, both times, actually. I guess I really haven't changed much since I was in high school."

'_Oh, how he is wrong,'_ Hatori thought. Slowly he pulled his finger from the water and grasped Chiaki's hand with his own. "You are wrong there, Yoshino," he whispered, slyly.

"Huh?" Chiaki was a little confused and wondered how he'd managed to turn his boyfriend on with just his actions. Oh yes, he knew when Hatori was turned on, like the man emitted a pheromone. That usually ended up turning him on too, and they didn't have time for _that_ right then.

"When you were in high school you'd never have put my _finger_ in your mouth."

Chiaki blushed and lowered his face in mortification. Leave it to Tori to turn such a comment into something completely dirty. It was true, he'd just a few moments prior put the man's actual finger into his mouth, but the underlining meaning was easy enough anyone could have caught on.

"You are embarrassing, Tori. There are other people here, so keep your perverted thoughts to yourself!" Chiaki demanded, pulling his hand from Hatori's and turning to head back to work. He didn't make it far before his body was pulled and held adjacent to Hatori's. Chiaki could feel Hatori's heart beat on his back. "Tori?"

"Why don't we go to the museum again, once you're done with this set," Hatori asked into Chiaki's neck, causing the man to shiver.

Yoshino gulped slightly. Their positions would have easily escalated to something more had they been alone in his apartment. As for the museum, when Hatori and Hoshino had started to date, their trip to the exhibit had been replaced. He recalled feeling awful when he'd gone to the Tori's house just twenty minutes after the outburst in school only to find that the other wasn't at home. Somehow, he and Yuu had managed to finish their project (though they didn't get a good grade on it) that Thursday night. When Hatori'd come into the classroom that Friday he was all set to go and had invited Yuu to join them.

After Tori had stormed out he broke the outing with Yuu and went where he thought Hatori had gone. When he'd been told the other wasn't home he had no idea where the other might have been, so he sat on the doorstep and waited for a few hours. Eventually he'd gone home and didn't get to see Tori until he went to his house the next morning.

That was when he'd seen Tori leave and walk toward the bus stop. Silently Yoshino had followed and that was when he found out that Tori had met up with Hoshino. Back then he'd ignored the feeling of jealousy. Now he didn't ignore those feelings. So, what Hatori spoke was true, he had changed…in some ways.

"Okay," he choked out.

Hatori licked from the base of Chiaki's neck to his earlobe, causing the body next to his to quiver. He knew very well that nothing more would happen while Chiaki's staff was working in the house, but it would definitely be a preview of what was to come. The editor let his boyfriend go and he watched Chiaki grab the pages he'd been working on and head back toward the workroom.

Many a time he'd watched Chiaki walk off and never look back as he walked away. Each time it made his heart break. This time was different though. When Chiaki reached the door, he turned slightly and looked at Hatori who was standing in the kitchen. He gave a brief smile before walking through the door. Never again would Chiaki not look back and neither would Hatori forget to look back when walking away either. It would be a new little way for them to remind one another that they would be back and while they were gone, the other would never leave the forefront of the other's mind.

/GG/

**Author's Note:**

**A pyroclastic flow of magma from a volcano basically means that no one is safe and everyone will be hit. In other words, it's really bad. I have been learning some things in my geology class. **

**I had to watch the fourth episode in season two of the anime to find out the name of the girl Hatori dated. Seems it's difficult to find that name on the 'Net somewhere. **


	20. We're in this Together

**Well, this took a while to come out with. Actually, I typed this up today, but since I've been including this series in One Point in Time, I've not been adding new chapters to Bound. If you haven't read One Point in Time you may want to since there are a few references in those chapters that are mentioned here. Nothing big, mind you, but some things might make a little more sense if understood. **

**Also, this story will now be bumped up to an M rating. Now, this does not mean graphic anything. But there is more in this story than the others, so I am going to try to follow the guidelines as much as possible. **

**This story is for teabags, who has been asking for a little more of the citrus variety. I'd say it was more lime than lemon, but don't quote me on that since I don't know the difference sometimes. **

**Enjoy and thanks for reading!**

/GG/

We're in this Together

_The long hallway loomed in front of him and no matter how much he walked, how far he moved forward, the passage never ended. There were no doors or windows, only dark walls and a thick ocean of carpet surrounding his bare feet. Hatori could hear Chiaki calling for him; asking for help, but he couldn't help the one he loved. It was impossible when he couldn't get out of the cage in which he was trapped. _

_Hatori started to run as fast as his legs would carry him. It didn't matter what obstacles lie in his path, when his Chiaki needed him, nothing would stand in his way of finding the one he loved. _

_The hallway started to morph into a black hole and Hatori noticed he was caught in the pull. Everything seemed to slow down around him and he put his hands to his throat as the air was slowly sucked from his lungs. He was going to die before saving Yoshino!_

_No! That wasn't allowed. Life force almost drained, Hatori started to flail around and work himself free from his impending doom. He couldn't die when Yoshino needed him, that wasn't fair!_

_Then he felt it, the last bit of air exited his body and he closed his eyes wondering where Yoshino was._

His eyes opened and he sat up in bed, sweat streaming down his face, and body shaking with cold, fear, or possibly a mixture of the two. Where was Yoshino? Hatori looked to the side of his bed that his lover usually occupied. Of course it was empty since the mangaka was at his own place. It was one of those rare nights when both men slept in their own beds, and for the first time in a while, Hatori's heart broke because he couldn't just pull the other man into a hug to reassure himself that Yoshino hadn't vanished into thin air.

Hatori looked at the clock and saw it was six in the morning. He'd only gotten three hours of sleep, but after that dream there was no way he'd be able to fall back into slumber. All that was left to do was get up and go to work. A mountain of scans were on his desk, so he knew there'd be more than enough to keep him busy for the next fifteen or so hours.

/GG/

The halls of Marukawa were silent and dark. It was barely seven in the morning and he was sure that the only people who might be around would be Isaka and Asahina, provided neither actually made it home the night prior. Hatori knew that one of the rarely used conference rooms had been turned into a 'rest area' that his boss and the other man used quite a bit. In fact he'd seen Takano take Ritsu there at one point, reiterating that the two were having an affair, even if the younger man wouldn't agree to such a scandal.

Hatori chuckled at the idea of taking Chiaki there, but the mangaka rarely came into the building, so that scratched that idea from his head rather quickly. He could dream though; a much better dream than the one earlier that morning. The idea of Yoshino's sweat-glistened body convulsing around him as they made love almost caused the editor to lose it, so he extinguished those thoughts from his head rather quickly and entered Emerald.

On his desk were five piles of manuscript. Five of his mangaka, including Yoshino, had managed to get their initial or final scans to him at the same time. Hatori rolled his eyes and started with Chiaki's since it was due later that day. That man was the biggest procrastinator in the history of writers. He was worse than Usami Akihiko, which was as bad as they came.

Chiaki's story was good though. He'd taken into account all of Hatori's suggestions and completed his manuscript in a way that would make the reader's heart bleed for the protagonist. In other words, it was perfect and Hatori loved that his boyfriend could evoke such emotions from the masses. He'd never be able to do that himself. That wasn't something he wanted to do anyway, though.

Hatori finished Yoshino's manuscript by ten; still no one had shown up to work. He could hear the faint talking of others from different departments, but Emerald and the surrounding areas were ghost towns. That wasn't much of a bother; it meant he was able to work faster without all of the noise.

The blue-eyed editor stood up to personally carry Yoshino's finished pages to the printers. They'd be thrilled that the scans were there before the five pm deadline. Hatori was just as thrilled, and he jumped for joy on the inside to see the little girl's face when he handed her the manuscript. It was going to be a very good day.

/GG/

Chiaki ran into Marukawa with a look of pure horror on his face. After the dream he'd had and Hatori not being in his bed with him when he woke, his heart was ready to jump from his chest. What in the fuck was that? He didn't know, nor did he care. All he wanted was to make sure Hatori wasn't trapped in some sort of extra terrestrial body with no means of escape. Watching his lover die was worse than seeing Hatori after he'd been attacked by the mugger, or when he disappeared from view in the elevator. Hatori wasn't allowed to die, he wouldn't let him.

The mangaka didn't know what was a dream or reality at this point, he was in a panic. He knew exactly where Hatori's department was, but he hadn't been there often. Because the editor wasn't answering his phone and wasn't at his own apartment, Chiaki could only think of one other, logical, place where he could be. That didn't mean that he hadn't envisioned his lover in the hospital somewhere with amnesia, or lying face down in a gutter somewhere. Sometimes Chiaki was his own worst enemy.

"Tori!"

Of course no one was going to answer when he was in the elevator, but for some reason it felt right. What surprised Yoshino though, was that the elevator stopped on the third floor and the man in question was standing before the doorway. Chiaki didn't even think as he launched himself at the editor, enveloping him in a hug.

"You're alive!"

Hatori didn't quite know how to respond to this attack. He wasn't expecting his lover to appear, as if by magic, from behind the elevator door. "Yoshino?" The slighter man was shaking, mildly, and Hatori was actually worried his lover had caught some sort of sickness. He grabbed Chiaki's hand and pulled him to the conference room down the way, completely forgetting it was the one Isaka had decked out for his indiscretions.

Chiaki was a little perplexed when he saw the futon in the corner of the conference room, no tables or chairs, and a lamp instead of the normal lights that flooded the building. He was pulled through the door, which was promptly shut, and then a hand was placed on his forehead. Hatori was checking him for a fever. The way he was acting it was no surprise the taller man may have come to the conclusion that he was delirious from heat.

"I'm not sick, Tori, I had a dream you died!" he snapped, unintentionally, as he pulled away from his lover's grasp.

Hatori cocked an eyebrow and looked at Yoshino with curiosity. "So, you thought I had actually died and came here looking for me?" His dream popped into his head as he imagined his boyfriend's dream being similar. Such fantasy could never exist though. Instead he decided to treat Chiaki like he had when the boy used to climb through his bedroom window when he had a bad dream when they were kids. "What was the dream about, Yoshino?" Hatori placed an arm around his lover and put his head on top of Chiaki's crown.

"You were being pulled into a black hole."

The answer was deadpan and Hatori's eyes went wide. His dream had been pretty much that, in a nutshell.

"You were trying to get away, but everything was moving so slowly, and you were trapped. It was like watching one of those shows on the science fiction channel."

Chiaki did his best to remove the visual from his mind. He was used to watching himself die in dreams, but watching the man he loved die was a completely different story. He could handle his own death, but the mangaka knew if Hatori left Earth before he did, he wouldn't last much longer. The idea embarrassed him to high hell. Chiaki's face flushed and he buried his face in Hatori's shoulder.

Yoshiyuki was at a loss for words. Was it possible they'd had the same dream? He'd read somewhere that twins sometimes did that through whatever bond existed, but having one's lover dream the same horrific sight was something completely different. Should he tell Chiaki they had the same dream? Would it make any difference in any way? He doubted it, but having the same dream made him feel that much closer, as if their bond was strengthening.

"Yoshino, I had a similar nightmare. That's why I came to work early today." It wasn't a difficult decision, really. Telling Chiaki was something he figured might make his lover's fears die down slightly.

Hearing that admission caused Chiaki pause. He, quite literally, stopped breathing as he contemplated the idea that he and Hatori'd had the same dream, or something very similar. Was there some sort of mysticism going on that he didn't understand? He wasn't stupid, but hearing that made him feel a little dumb.

"You're just saying that, aren't you?" The thought exited his mouth before he'd had a chance to think properly.

Hatori pulled away and looked his lover in the eye. The man looked confused, but no longer scared. "No, Yoshino, I'm not lying. When have I ever lied to you?"

Lying was something neither of them tended to do, nor did they withhold the truth when asked. Not coming clean was akin to lying and because of issues of the past, they'd made a vow to always be truthful with one another. Chiaki wasn't worried about repeats of certain actions by either, so he knew his lover wasn't lying. His blue eyes went wide and he started to smile.

"Are you all better now, Yoshino?" Hatori asked, glad to see the beautiful face in front of him looking more natural.

Chiaki nodded and immediately wanted to brush his embarrassment under the carpet and forget it had ever happened. His running around like a lunatic was bad enough, but having drug his lover into the mix was ten times worse. So he changed the subject rather fast.

"Tori," he asked, looking around and taking in the room a second time. "What is this place?"

This was actually the room that Hatori's thoughts occasionally went to when he was in a mood. He actually wanted nothing more than to pull Chiaki to the futon and make love with him right then and there. Tori was nothing if not a gentleman though, so he kept his perverted thoughts to himself.

"This room is for 'special' times between certain individuals in this company," the editor answered. "I didn't mean anything by bringing you here; it was the closest room to where we were and I knew when you came to you'd be rather embarrassed at your public display of affection in the hallway."

Yoshino nodded and walked over to the desk. It was the only piece of office furniture in the room. He started to open drawers and was shocked at the contents. One had various types of rubbers, another had battery operated toys (which caused Chiaki to blush profusely), and a third had a stockpile of lubrications and flavored oils. On the desk stood a tree that had a few condoms handing like ornaments.

"I had no idea such a place existed here. Does everyone use this room?"

Hatori wanted to laugh. Chiaki was so innocent at times. "I'm probably the only one in Emerald who _hasn't _used this room," he admitted.

"Really?" Yoshino looked at Hatori, who gave him 'the look' which reminded him that Hatori wasn't exactly a player, so it was highly unlikely that he'd have used such a place. Plus, Hatori was kind of a traditional romantic at heart, so going at it outside of the home, or in a private motel room, wasn't something he was likely to do. "Why not?"

"I'd only ever want to be in a place like this with you, Yoshino," Hatori stated. "When would you ever agree to being with me here?"

Chiaki's heart skipped a few beats as the realization dawned on him. He was tired, so he was allowed to be a little slow. "Do you want..?" Finishing that question was a lot harder on him then he imagined and his face burned with both humiliation and a smidgen of excitement. He'd seen movies where the lovers united in the office, but never in a room specially designed for such.

Hatori sighed. This wasn't where he'd wanted to go today, but his lover wasn't making it easy on him in the least. "Do you even have to ask that question, Yoshino? I love you."

The mangaka's face turned purple as he forgot to breathe again and his hand opened the topmost drawer without his permission. He reached inside and pulled out a condom and held it toward Hatori, his eyes wide.

"Are you sure, Chiaki?" Hatori didn't step toward the other man in case said man came to his senses and realized what he was inviting.

Yoshino nodded. He couldn't turn back after offering. Plus, it had been almost a month. After Hatori's injuries they'd taken it easy until the man healed. Then it was hell week, followed by returning home for a friend's birthday. Chiaki didn't want to admit it, but he really missed the intimacy of being with his lover. He relished being able to run his hands over Tori's magnificent body and feel the ecstasy of penetration. It had been far too long since the two had made love and he didn't realize how much he needed it before that moment.

"Please, Tori," he mumbled, waiting for the taller male to make the next move. He'd started, Hatori was definitely going to have to finish.

Hatori took that as the go ahead and locked the door. It would be highly unlikely that someone would interrupt at this time in the morning, but he wanted to be careful. Embarrassing Chiaki was not something he wanted to do.

Once they were safely within the locked room, he walked over and didn't hesitate to pull Chiaki into a searing kiss that left both breathless and hardly able to stand. Yoshino's head was spinning as he tried to walk to the futon without falling to the ground.

"Wow," he whispered, ready to climb out of his skin and join Hatori in his. The need had built up enough he was already a rock.

"You didn't take care of yourself at all during our separation, Chiaki?" Hatori asked, huskily, as he lowered them to the bed and started to remove them of their clothes.

Chiaki wasn't afraid to admit that he had been quite the masturbator as of prior. But after Hatori had gotten hold of him, he couldn't do it as well anymore, so he didn't get off as easily. "You weren't there," he whined.

"Then let me relieve you of your pain." And that pain was alleviated rather quickly. Within moments of Hatori's game, he came hard. Chiaki rode out his pleasure while Hatori made sure he was in heaven. Then he watched his boyfriend use his finger to mop up his seed and place it on his tongue to be ingested into his person. The idea of Hatori enjoying the taste that was Chiaki still weirded him out, but thrilled him at the same time.

Hatori sat back, looking at his lover laid out before him. An hour before he'd never have thought he'd be in this position, but now that he was there he never wanted to leave. He reached for the condom and pulled it from the wrapper, but didn't get a chance to put it on before Chiaki stopped him.

"I don't want to get this place dirty, Yoshino," he admonished, trying to pull his hand from his lover's.

"No, I want to put it on," Chiaki said, sitting up. Hatori's blue orbs went wide as he silently handed the prophylactic to his lover. Yoshino tentatively took the condom and started to unroll it over Hatori's organ. He'd never admit this to Hatori, but he loved to touch the man's need; he was too embarrassed to do much else with it, but occasionally he loved to just brush his hand over the phallus and cause Hatori some sort of pleasure.

Once secure, the two entwined themselves into a heated and passionate kiss. It wasn't until Hatori felt the leaking from Chiaki's head that he realized they'd need two condoms or the place would still end up messy. Hatori stood up and pulled Chiaki to his feet before capturing the man's mouth in another lip lock as he led them back to the desk. He made quick work of it and soon Chiaki was also covered.

They didn't even make it back to the bed though before grasping at one another out of pure carnal desire. Bodies slapped against one another and eventually Chiaki's legs managed to wrap around Hatori's waist as they became one.

The position was new to them, standing with no support. Chiaki was able to marvel at Hatori's strength while the rhythm of movement between the two shattered his senses. He came a second time as he felt his lover climax within him. Yoshino held on and had no intention in letting go as they crashed to the ground in a pile of bodies and sweat. It had been the most erotic sensation in his life, thus far.

/GG/

_I can't believe we did that!_ Chiaki chastised himself as he paced in front of his television. After they'd parted, much to both of their dismay, Yoshino had returned home to take a shower and work on some story boards. Unfortunately his mind kept wandering back to the most explosive sex he'd ever had in his life; which had happened at work!

Granted, he loved Tori and was not having second doubts about coming together with him, but they had done it in a place of business. He knew all about Isaka's hidden cameras and was sure the older man had videotaped the two of them. Chiaki wasn't an exhibitionist. Or at least he hadn't been until two hours prior.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

He looked over at his mobile. It was sitting next to a half empty cup of Starbuck's Coffee. There were two possibilities for whom had sent him a text message. One was Tori, the other was Yuu. Yanase was still overseas though and would be for another couple of days, so he doubted the man had a chance to send him a text message internationally.

Chiaki looked at his phone and saw it was from neither, but from Isaka's secretary, Asahina. Yoshino about dropped the phone and dialed the number. It rang three times before being picked up.

"Thank you for calling, Yoshino-san," the smooth voice on the other end of the line said; he was all business.

"Is something the matter?" Chiaki stuttered.

"Nothing that I haven't taken care of for you and Hatori-san. I'm sure you are more than aware of some of the things that happen within Marukawa's walls, and I wanted to alleviate any stress your earlier activities may have spawned."

The way he spoke made Chiaki shiver. How did the man know? It must have been cameras.

"Rest assured," Asahina continued blankly, "all traces of you and Hatori-san have been cleaned out. I don't mind if Isaka has that room, but I frown on his videotaping others who happen upon the place."

The embarrassed mangaka wanted to thank the man, but couldn't get the words out. It was bad enough he'd done such a thing in that room, but to know, for a fact, that others were aware of what had taken place was enough to about make him lose his lunch, which he hadn't even eaten yet. How had something so beautiful turned into something so horrifying?

"Don't let it bother you, Yoshino-san," the man continued. "I know how hard it is to hold back when you love someone. You're very lucky to have someone like Hatori-san and he's very lucky to have you, never forget that."

With those final words Asahina hung up the phone and Chiaki was left to his musings. One thing he hadn't counted on was being told that their romp had been discovered, especially by the secretary, whom actually made him feel a little apprehensive. Yoshino crept over to his sofa and fell onto the seat, backward, and closed his eyes. He felt like a disgrace, even though he knew there was no need in such a thought. It was more along the lines of he felt mortified at being caught then the actual act itself.

"We're both such horny idiots! From now on we use the bedroom, nowhere else!" he cried to no one but himself.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

The phone vibrated in his hand and he was afraid to look at it. Was it Isaka this time? Chiaki opened only one eye to look at it, much like a kid might watch a scary part of a movie on the television; if half of his eyes were closed then it wasn't as bad. Rubbish, of course.

_Asahina-san came to see me just now and inform me that he's taken the liberty of making sure none of our scent is in that room. He also said he contacted you, are you okay?_

Hatori was so kind. If only everyone could see that.

Yoshino responded.

_I'm fine, but are you?_

He sent the quick message off and put his phone on his chest. Hatori would most likely message him back shortly.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

_I am fine and I do not regret our time together, but I am worried I've done something to you that you might regret now that you've had a chance to think about it._

Chiaki rolled his eyes. When was Hatori going to stop worrying about him and worry about himself instead?

_I've __**never**__ once regretted a time when we've been together._

Then he sent off a second message immediately after.

_No matter how embarrassing I find the act._

The phone was again placed on his chest and he closed his eyes. Now that he looked back on their year plus together he knew that every time he and Hatori had been together had been important to their relationship. Sure, there had been a time when it hadn't been sunshine and flowers, but that time was what brought them to where they were today. He'd not change the past, no matter what others would say about the whole situation.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

_I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Yoshino. We will never do _that _again outside of the home, or a motel room. I don't want to risk hurting you or your pride. _

There he was again, making this all about Chiaki. What a character flaw.

_Don't go making those decisions without me, Tori. Last I knew we were in this relationship together._

Chiaki, angrily, pressed the send button and then hammered the phone onto the table, not realizing he'd turned the thing off in the process. He then stared at the phone, expecting a response, but not receiving one when he expected to. After another hour of phone silence (and reading a couple of manga), he reached for it and realized he'd turned the phone off. He quickly turned it back on and saw two new text messages.

The first one read: _Sorry, if I offended you. I won't say anything more. _

The second one read: _It makes me happy to hear you say that, Yoshino. I never wanted to be the only one in this relationship. I know we are in this together._

The messages confused Chiaki and didn't make sense. He reread them and then realized the second message was sent first. It was sent almost after his last message. The one sent second was received almost ten minutes prior. Yoshino felt his heart jump in his chest. He'd been silent, so Hatori'd probably assumed he was angry and sent the apology.

_No! That wasn't what had happened. The phone died! _Chiaki screamed in his head.

Without even bothering to use the stupid piece of equipment anymore, Yoshino donned his shoes and ran out the door. He hailed a taxi and went off toward Marukawa for the second time that day.

/GG/

"Thanks for getting all of these done Hatori; we needed to get someone ahead on their work."

Hatori knew that it wasn't actually praise Takano was handing out since Hatori was actually as behind as everyone else. The snide comment was directed at Onodera, who instantly knew it was a slight at him and he responded in the classic sense.

"Maybe if my noisy neighbor would get a life of his own instead of pestering me every night, I'd be able to get more done!"

This, of course, caused more commotion than Onodera had probably wanted.

"Really, Ricchan, what do you and Takano do at night that keeps you so busy?"

Hatori watched the youngest of the group turn beet red and start to sputter.

"Nothing like what you're thinking, and besides, I'm thinking about moving next month so I can have some privacy."

Three pairs of eyes went wide, and Hatori noticed two of the sets were immediately trained on Takano. The editor knew that within a few seconds their fearless leader, who actually had started to look pale, would either leave by himself, at which point Kisa would make a comment that would cause Onodera to follow, or Takano would grab Ritsu and drag him off. Obviously the kid had learned something and had intentionally or unintentionally used it without thinking about the consequences.

Moments later Takano did stand up, but he didn't grab for Onodera. Hatori had actually never seen the man look as visibly shaken as he was, so he too stood up, and escorted the man out of the area himself. Sometimes the kid really inserted his own foot into his mouth. He knew that Onodera would follow shortly, so he didn't lead Takano any further than the nearest men's toilet. Yoshiyuki could feel for Takano since he was just as scared of losing Yoshino as Takano was of losing Onodera.

"Tori!"

"Takano-san?"

From opposite sides of the hallway the names were called. Hatori looked toward Yoshino first, then at Onodera, who was obviously shamed. Yoshino looked a little worried again.

"Good luck," he said, patting his superior at work, but his junior in life on the shoulder. Hatori took off down the hall, but was able to hear Onodera grunt as he was pulled into the bathroom and the door locked quickly thereafter.

"Yoshino?" he asked, which meant that the entire question was asking why he was at Marukawa for a second time that day.

"I-I…y-you-you," Chiaki was at a loss for words, so he took hold of Hatori's arm and pulled him into the stairwell, down the stairs, and back to Isaka's little love making room. He didn't pay any attention to the people who watched them, nor to the direction they were headed, which surprised Hatori since he wasn't even aware that Yoshino paid that much attention to the layout of the building.

Once inside the room, Chiaki locked the door and turned on the bewildered man beside him. He didn't know where this bout of craziness came from, but he knew that what he was about to do would show Hatori that it didn't matter where they came together, as long as it was just the two of them.

Chiaki rummaged in the drawer and pulled out two condoms, letting his mind slink back into his brain a little since if he were thinking clearly, he'd probably stop what he was about to do. Then he grabbed Hatori's hand and pulled him to the futon that they hadn't used much earlier.

"Yoshino, stop," Hatori beseeched, "you're not thinking clearly about this."

The smaller man looked up at Hatori, blue eyes blazing with confidence, anger, excitement, and most importantly, passion.

"No, Yoshiyuki," he said, using Hatori's first name, which caused the editor's face to blush, slightly. "I'm not going to stop, not now. I'll think about it later. Right now this is something _I_ need to do…no, _we_ need to do, together. Remember that Tori, we're in this together!" He leaned in and pulled Hatori into a hug, wrapping his arms around the other's broad chest and breathing in the scent of his lover. "Remember that, always," he requested.

Hatori pulled Chiaki's face up toward his and looked into his lover's optics. How was it that this man made him fall more in love every day? It shouldn't have been possible.

"Okay, Yoshino," he replied, accepting the request in its entirety. "We'll do this together." He claimed Chiaki's lips with his own again and the two made passionate love on the futon, searching each other out and relishing the feel of one another for the second time that day.

Once they had satisfied their hunger, they cuddled together on the futon for a while, basking in the afterglow of sex. Chiaki had never felt happier than he did when Hatori held him after they made love. It was at those times when he knew that Yoshiyuki's mind was on him and him alone.

/GG/

"Asahina, where are you going?" Isaka asked, feet propped up on his table, arms behind his head, and a cup of coffee by his shoes.

"I have something to take care of, Ryuuichiro-sama. I will return shortly," the secretary said, excusing himself.

He walked down the hallway to Isaka's private movie studio. Since his boss and lover didn't have as much integrity as he, it was up to him to make sure no one else ended up in Isaka's collection of home porn movies. Though, to make sure Isaka wasn't aware, he'd allowed the video to be made, he just set up an alarm that went to his phone as a warning someone had decided to make use of the 'love hotel room' they'd unintentionally set up.

Asahina walked into the recording booth and saw that it was Hatori-san and Yoshino-san, again. They were in the process of getting dressed; the mangaka trying to help the editor by doing a poor job of tying his tie.

This sight was sweet as it reminded him of having to tie a little brat's tie when they were younger. Asahina went into the computer and deleted the file from the computer. Isaka had set it up so that when the door opened, the video started to record. Oh how much trouble they could get into if discovered, yet if employees were using the room, they too were at fault. Two wrongs didn't make a right, but deleting the files before one perverted owner's son could see them was better than nothing.

He left the booth and headed back toward his office. "I didn't know they had it in them," he commented to himself. At least they seemed like a happy couple. Asahina didn't wonder if maybe he'd need to start helping others in their midst. Editing was hard enough without adding lack of communication issues with partners to the mix.

/GG/

**Author's note:**

**The comment about Chiaki being his own worst enemy is actually from the Transformer's franchise. My favorite character, since I was three, mind you, was described as such. I think Chiaki falls into that category as well. **


	21. Until the Pain Goes Away

**Author's before note:**

**Hello everyone and welcome to another addition of Bound. I wanted to bring up a couple of things before the story, so I hope you'll read this instead of jumping right in. **

**One, I've seen that quite a few people who like this couple are bullied on fansites and it rather irks me. I know everyone probably worships the girls who translate the SIH series even though they do press their own beliefs on others. I wanted to let people know that if they feel bullied in any way for liking this couple then there are those of us who will stand up to that. Also, if anyone wants to talk about this couple, I can introduce you to some other individuals who like them just as much as I do. **

**Two, I know there are some in this fandom who do not follow the light novels. I respect that, but be aware that I, myself, actually do follow the light novels and the contents within. That does not mean I support forced intimacy of any sort, but this is fiction, so I can look beyond that and enjoy Hatori and Chiaki's story for what it becomes. The following chapter deals (not in the roundabout way a prior chapter did) with the rape that happens in book 1 of the Yoshino no Baai series. In other words, the contents of this chapter, while not sexual, deal with adult situations. **

Thank you everyone for making this my most popular series! I've had over 12k views, over 120 reviews, and reached over 50k words. I respond to all reviews, but I wanted to thank all of the guests who have reviewed without signing in and those who have reviewed that have responses turned off. Thanks to everyone for stopping by. I'll continue writing for this couple as long as people want!

Cheers mates!

/GG/

Until the Pain Goes Away

He felt like a kid in a candy store with an unending amount of money to spend on sweets. His work for the time being was finished, he was spending the day with Yuu, who had finally come back from Canada, and that night was one of his and Tori's date nights. They were going to eat out, go to a V6 concert*, and then go to a motel, where he was sure they'd end up intimate. The idea made him blush as he looked at Yuu from across the table.

"I'd appreciate you not thinking about what you're going to do with Hatori when you're with me, Chiaki," Yanase deadpanned, causing Yoshino to blush even further at being caught in the act.

"Sorry, Yuu, my mind is always running faster than it should." Chiaki picked up his glass of tea and took a cold swig, hoping it'd cool his face a little. "I'm glad we're here together though. It's been so long." He picked up a few of the comic books Yuu had brought from The Americas. He'd seen some of the Marvel movies in the theater, but had never had the chance to read the books that spawned them. "Can you read this, Yuu?" Of course the books were in English, not Japanese.

"Yes, a little. I'm not as proficient as some people in our acquaintance, but I can get the bulk of what's being said in these dialog bubbles." He took one of the X-Men books from the pile. "I didn't necessarily buy them for you to read though, Chiaki. I bought them to show you different ways of creating scenes. The detail in some of these is impressive."

Yoshino agreed with his friend. Plus, a lot of them were in complete color. Comics in The Americas weren't as widely distributed as they were in Japan, so creating a full-colored novel wasn't something unfeasible.

"I wonder if I'd ever be allowed to color in an entire chapter. I think that would make me very happy, actually," the mangaka mused, fingering a Power Pack* comic.

Yanase laughed. "I think you have your hands full trying to get black and white stills out on time, Chiaki. Maybe you should focus your energies on those until you can manage your time a little more."

Chiaki scowled and crossed his arms. Normally it was Tori who chastised him regarding his lack of timekeeping skills. Whenever it had to do with getting things in on time, Yuu was always on Chiaki's side; of letting him have a little free time, especially if Hatori was around. Lately though he'd started acting more like Tori did when it came to making sure Yoshino had his materials in on time. Of course his friend was right regarding his inability to keep up if he had to do an entire spread in color, but he could dream. That was one of the best parts of being a mangaka; the ability to dream all the time.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

"It's from Tori!" A light lit his face when he saw the sender. "Let me just check it quickly."

Yanase rolled his eyes. He was used to taking a back seat when it came to his best friend's lover.

Chiaki looked at the text message.

_I'm sorry, Yoshino. I won't be able to meet you tonight, nor at any time during the next three weeks. I've just been informed that my father's father has passed away; I am at the airport with my parents. We'll be leaving shortly. I know we had plans, but I need to break them. I will make it up to you when I return. Take care of yourself while I'm gone. I love you._

Chiaki's heart all but stopped when he read those words. Poor Tori. He looked at Yuu with a frown. "Tori's grandfather passed away," he mumbled, sadly.

Yanase remembered his own grandfather passing away a few years prior. "When you contact him, send him my condolences." He may not have liked Hatori any more than he liked a splinter on the bottom of his foot, but someone had died, which required a little bit of respect.

The mangaka nodded; heart breaking for his lover. "I don't know what to do, Yuu. He must be so sad, but he's not here, so I can't even be with him."

Yuu recalled when he'd rushed off to Yokohama after a stubborn individual who'd just lost his sister in a plane crash. He just couldn't sit and let the man go through the loss of a family member alone; even if the idiot hadn't informed him until after he'd skipped town.

"If I were you, Chiaki, I'd get on a plane and follow him," he stated.

"Really? Do you think he wants me to?" Chiaki couldn't even recall ever being on a plane before.

Had it been any other time the artist would have chuckled. "He told you, specifically, what happened. If he didn't want you to be with him, then he'd have just said he was called away, but not told you why," Yuu declared with certainty. "Hatori is just as stubborn as some people I know," he grumbled, slightly under his breath. "It's probably his way of calling out to you," he said louder so Chiaki could hear him clearly. Yanase shook his head. "I don't know where we find these idiots."

Yoshino closed his eyes and tried to recall where Tori's grandparents lived. He knew it was north, but how far north, he wasn't quite sure. That wasn't going to stop him though. He'd even resort to calling his own mother if necessary. If he wasn't so worried about how his boyfriend was doing he'd be angry at not being included in such a life-changing moment.

"Where do I start?" he asked with uncertainty.

/GG/

Chiaki found himself with a ticket to Kushiro. He'd have to make a stop in Sapporo first, but would eventually get to the area where his lover's family resided. It _had_ been necessary for him to call his mother to get the information and after a lengthy conversation and promising to visit for a week in August, he'd finally weaseled the information from the obstinate woman. That had to have been one of the reasons Yoshino had enjoyed Hatori's house more than his; Tori's parents were not nearly as in-your-face as his mother.

After Yanase had helped him with a quick Internet search, he'd purchased a ticket, and gotten to the airport with enough time to spare. This led to Chiaki almost passing out from all the people everywhere seeping his energy away. He eventually found his way to the first class lounge where he upgraded his ticket so he could use the place and not be near so many people.

His thoughts, aside from keeping himself sane, were on Hatori and what the poor guy must have been going through. If he'd been privy to the information he'd have taken the plane with his lover and his family. Not being included made him wonder if he was good enough to remain with Tori or if he wasn't anything more than just someone on the side. Didn't the man consider him family?

Those thoughts continued on as Yoshino boarded the plane, took his seat, and let himself pass out. It was a relatively short flight, but sleeping would keep him a lot calmer than being awake. Plus, when he was awake, all he could do was think of Hatori and the loss his family had just suffered, or wondering why he hadn't been included. Sometimes he had a one-tracked mind that didn't let him rest when something plagued his thoughts.

Yoshino hadn't really spent a lot of time with Tori's father's father. The man's mother's father was in town, so he was often at Hatori's family gatherings. While he didn't feel a kinship with this grandfather, he did love Tori and that meant he needed to be there. This was not something he was going to allow Tori to go through alone.

/GG/

"Sir, we've landed."

The second flight had been even shorter than the one to Sapporo. Chiaki had let himself doze off again and was woken up, rather unexpectedly, by a flight attendant.

"We're at the airport and almost everyone else is off, so you may want to leave as well."

Chiaki shook his head and stretched. True to the woman's words, there was no one else in the plane and he lowered his head sheepishly. How embarrassing to need to be woken on such a short trip. Then again, at least the flying part was over and he needn't worry about getting onto another plain again until he was needed back at home.

Yoshino exited the aircraft and looked at the address. He didn't even know how to read the character Yuu had written for the area he needed to travel. He hoped the cab driver was a little more intelligent than he at that moment. It wasn't that Chiaki couldn't read Kanji, he was actually quite proficient, however there were some interesting names of districts in northern Japan.

Overnight bag in hand, he left the airport and hailed a cab. The driver looked at the address and rolled his eyes, leading Chiaki to believe that maybe Yuu had written the character wrong. However it had nothing to do with that and soon he found out why. The total for the trip was over 20000 yen* and they were out in the middle of nowhere. It was lucky that Chiaki'd brought quite a few notes with him or the driver may have been a little steamed at not being paid immediately.

Once the large amount of cash was paid, the driver sped off leaving Yoshino to stare up at the house. It wasn't particularly large, but the grounds made it seem bigger than reality. There were sakura trees and ginko trees scattered throughout. He could see a pond with a small creek winding around the house and toward the back. The place was beautiful and he could feel inspiration for his manuscript bombarding his head.

Chiaki walked toward the door and hesitantly knocked. He hadn't really thought through a good reason for his showing up and it became apparent when he was at a loss for words. What was he going to say if someone he didn't know answered the door? Feeling foolish, he rapped on the screen and stepped back, looking like a humble sale's person.

"Yoshino-kun?"

He got lucky when Hatori's father answered the door. At least that person knew him and he wouldn't make a complete ass of himself.

"I-I'm sorry for intruding, Hatori-san. But, Tori mentioned what had happened and I…"

Chiaki didn't get a chance to finish speaking when Tori's mother came in behind her husband and smiled. "Yoshino-kun, thank you for being here for Yoshiyuki. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

The woman led Chiaki into the house and toward the shrine for the deceased. He could see Tori on his knees with a stick of incense in his hand. He was bowing occasionally and Yoshino could see silent words emanating from the man's lips. While it was an inappropriate thought at the time, Chiaki couldn't help but think that Hatori looked beautiful in that room, surrounded by wisps of smoke, and positioned just so in front of a photograph of a man who looked very much like Hatori. It was a clear family resemblance.

Silently, Chiaki grabbed a pillow and a stick of incense and walked over to kneel next to Hatori. When his lover looked over and they locked eyes, Hatori's blue orbs went wide with shock, but he didn't say anything as Yoshino knelt down and started to say his own little prayer. The editor didn't know how to respond, so he continued his own invocation without uttering a single word.

Together, in silence, and in front of quite a few people, the couple continued the ritual. Neither realized that Hatori's deceased grandfather was the first in either family they'd come out to, even if they didn't speak it aloud. A sense of peace fell onto their shoulders after introducing who they were together, indicating that the man approved, at least in their thoughts.

/GG/

Introductions were made and food was eaten. Once the meal was complete those who weren't staying at the house left for the night. Most of them would be returning the following day. Chiaki had been informed that he could take the remaining spare room, but he'd insisted he'd shown up to give Hatori support and asked to share his room. He could see the look of fear in Tori's eyes when he asked and immediately thought it had to do with their relationship. No one else seemed to think it odd though, so his request was granted by the matriarch, who let the mangaka to Tori's room.

Once it was clear she had left the two in the room alone, Chiaki looked at Hatori with curiosity. Never before had Hatori been worried about how their relationship would look to his family. Was there something wrong with his grandmother that might cause such a behavior?

"Are you worried about what might happen if your family finds out about us?" Chiaki asked that question before thinking.

Yoshiyuki sat down on his futon and looked incredibly small. Chiaki walked over and sat next to him, reached out with his hand, and grasped the other's in comfort. Hatori reached over and picked Yoshino's hand from his and placed it in his lover's lap. Then he moved about a foot away from the other man.

"I'm not at all worried about us coming out to my family; I've never had an issue with that." There was such sadness in his voice, Chiaki could almost feel his own tears start to gather.

The blue-eyed mangaka closed the distance again, this time putting his arm around Hatori's shoulder. "Talk to me, Tori. You're scaring me." Chiaki didn't tell Hatori when the man scared him because it normally had to do with work or when he'd done or said something ridiculous. This time he knew it was none of the above.

"Yoshino, I appreciate your being here, but I'm not in complete control of my emotions," Hatori warned, sadly. Now was not the time to mince words. "The last time I wasn't in control I raped you, which is why I don't think you should be near me right now." Chiaki looked at his lover's dejected face and wanted nothing more than to hold the man close. It broke his heart to know that Hatori still hadn't moved away from that indiscretion. "I'm scared of repeating such an inexcusable action, especially when I'm not in my right mind." The last thought was whispered as Hatori stood up from his futon and moved himself a safe distance across the room; far enough from Chiaki that he couldn't reach out and grab the man easily.

Tears were in Hatori's eyes as he tried to look anywhere other than his lover. He was embarrassed and humiliated at his lack of control as well as his inability to keep from showing Chiaki the emotions that were in his mind. He never wanted to appear weak in front of the other, no matter the circumstances.

Yoshino didn't seem to care though. He was starting to worry, not just about Hatori's loss, but of the fact that at a time like this he was worried about losing himself again in such a manner. "How often do you think about what happened?"

"I worry about it every day," Hatori answered, sullenly.

Chiaki's heart all but stopped at finding such a thing out. The man in front of him, whom he considered Superman at times, hadn't moved passed the issue at all if he was still thinking about it.

"Tori," he whispered, getting to his knees and scooting across the floor like he used to do when they had sleepovers as children. The larger man didn't move away, nor did he flinch when Chiaki reached out and put a hand on his knee. "I forgave you, you know."

Hatori didn't meet Chiaki's gaze, but did look at the artist's hand on his lap. "I understood the non-verbal forgiveness, Yoshino, but that doesn't mean I ever forgave myself." He tentatively reached out and put a hand on Chiaki's. "But I'll be damned if I ever lose control again. This is a really bad time and I don't want to lose my head."

Tears started to fall onto Chiaki's shirt as they leaked down his face. When was he going to take enough notice of the people he loved to see that they were hurt; or happy even. It had taken forever for him to see that Yuu was happy, but the man he was sleeping with had kept his emotions on the subject so bottled up Chiaki wasn't even aware of it going on right under his nose.

"I trust you, Hatori Yoshiyuki," he stated, plainly. "That's why I can forgive you and move on, because I trust you more than I trust myself."

Hatori forced a laugh and shook his head. "Thank you, Yoshino…but I…"

Chiaki's hand sprang forth and covered Hatori's mouth. "Don't you dare say it, Hatori! I won't let you say you don't trust yourself. It fucking pisses me off when you do this. I thought we were going to make sure to talk about everything that was on our minds, so talk to me, right now!" he demanded, eyes blazing.

Hatori was at a loss for words. It never ceased to amaze him how he was able to bring his timid boyfriend into a different realm of emotions. Oftentimes, when it came to matters in the head or the heart, it was Chiaki who was the adult, not Hatori. Yoshino just didn't seem to see that, though.

"I don't know what to talk about right now, Yoshino," Hatori spoke thoughtfully. "It's rather surreal, really. I had spoken to him on the phone less than three days ago and he was fine."

Chiaki understood; he'd lost a grandmother a while back. It had been before he and Hatori had changed their relationship, but even then the editor had been at his side. "Why didn't you want me here with you?" Yoshino felt he knew the answer, but he wanted Hatori to come out and say it. All thought of him not being important or good enough had vanished when mention of the rape was brought up.

"Because I'm afraid if I have you to hold, I may want to do something like in those ridiculous manga where the one wants comfort from sex," Hatori admitted with difficulty. "I don't think having sex is the best way to be comforted, especially in a situation like this."

The slighter man wouldn't have minded letting Hatori take comfort in the process of love making, but he could see where he was coming from. Chiaki wouldn't have turned the idea down had Hatori not specifically spelled it out for him. So he did suggested something else.

"You don't need to have sex, but you can still hold me."

Hatori forced another laugh. "You're cute when you're ignorant, Yoshino."

Chiaki sat back, feeling completely scandalized. "I'm not being ignorant, Hatori," he replied, hotly.

"If I hold you," Hatori stated, backing away again, causing Chiaki's hand to fall to the floor with a thud, "then it may not stop there. Don't you understand that?"

This was not the time to be starting an argument, yet Yoshino was starting to feel very much agitated. "Then you keep your hands to yourself and I'll hold you!" Chiaki's hands went to his mouth when Hatori's mouth flopped open like a landed fish. That was quite the offer.

"You're being awfully brave today, Chiaki," Hatori pointed out, making Chiaki blush.

"This isn't me being brave, this isn't even me taking initiative, even if I'm fully capable of that!" he spit. "This is me trying to offer my boyfriend comfort after his grandfather died."

The editor refused to move away as Chiaki maneuvered himself against the wall and pulled Hatori into his lap. He allowed himself to be enveloped within the warm cocoon that was his lover. His heart was beating fiercely within his chest as he let his brain process his thoughts. Hatori loved Chiaki more than life itself, so whenever he was around the man he wanted to make love, be connected. When he was scared, he lost control of his reasoning, and that had resulted in him hurting the one he loved. His current fear was unwarranted though as his head remained cool and his want to make love with his boyfriend didn't even appear as a thought. Hatori was surprised that all he wanted to do was fall asleep in Chiaki's lap with the man's arms wrapped around him like a quilt.

Chiaki could feel Tori's heart start to slow to a normal pulse. His breathing evened out, but he could tell Hatori was still awake. Once the editor's own psyche returned to neutral, his own started to return as well. He found himself enjoying the pose of holding Hatori in his arms. Fuck all of those manga that said the one who was the receiver in the bedroom needed to be the more timid one. If one of those idiot characters couldn't give comfort like this then they weren't worthy of the seme they'd been given. Chiaki fully intended to be worthy of Yoshiyuki's love.

Eventually the tranquility of the moment caused two tired men to fall asleep. The night air fogged in from outside and made the room rather cool. At one point, neither knew which, someone had led the other to the futon and they fell asleep in a similar pose; Hatori spooned against Chiaki, whose legs had intertwined with the others. In the moment, it felt completely right.

/GG/

When they woke up the next morning, Chiaki had reverted back into his antisocial behavior and hid himself in a corner, occasionally making eye contact with Hatori throughout the day to remind him he wasn't alone. All of the people were sucking the energy from him, which wasn't much to begin with due to the situation at hand.

Occasionally someone asked about him and someone in the Hatori family would announce he was Yoshiyuki's best friend. While that made him happy, it didn't sound right. He didn't like the sound of _just_ being Tori's friend. If he'd been born a girl it would have been quite a bit different as they could have announced that they were together. To keep the outsiders from thinking anything unnecessary, Chiaki kept his mouth shut and suppressed the desire to walk over to Hatori and hold his hand. Of course that probably would have leached the rest of his energy away and he'd then be in need of a bed.

Hatori, on the other hand, could see the pained expression on Chiaki's face every time he was pointed out as a friend. His heart jumped for joy that the love of his life didn't like the title given him during this occasion. It didn't bother him, the thought of speaking to his family, but this was hardly the time or the place for such an announcement. He knew how old fashioned some people were, so it was better to inform his immediate family first before shoving such news on relatives and other family acquaintances (some of whom he didn't even know). He doubted he'd have even announced that Chiaki was his girlfriend if the man had happened to be female.

The day continued on and eventually Hatori sat himself next to Yoshino at the western style table in the kitchen. The two ate silently, listening to the chatter in the other rooms of the house. Everyone was complimenting Hatori-senior, the deceased, on a life well lived and a beautiful family to carry out the legacy. Neither Chiaki nor Tori made comment on that since it was doubtful they'd even be able to adopt children, let alone continue the bloodline. It didn't matter one iota though and soon the day was over and the secret lovers were again bundled up in Hatori's room again for the night.

This time they both had changed into pajamas and were situated on separate futons. Chiaki had his body facing Hatori, who was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. Both knew what was weighting on the other's mind, but they were also intelligent enough to realize that nothing could be spoken about such at that time.

"When will you be returning home, Yoshino?" Hatori asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Whenever you are. I'll reserve my seat once you tell me which day you are going back and we'll go together."

This caught Hatori a little off guard and he eyed his lover out of the corner of his eye. "You don't have to stay for such a length of time, Yoshino, you have things to take care of at home."

"I brought my materials with me, so I can work on them here. It doesn't matter where I work, as long as I produce something, right?" The comment was so matter-of-fact Hatori didn't quite know how to respond. "Besides," Chiaki continued, feeling very small all of a sudden, "if we were married, then it would be expected of me to stay."

Far be it for him to think about technicalities in certain situations. The answer was, of course, yes. But as they were not a traditional couple, Hatori wasn't going to hold Yoshino to that requirement. He didn't get a chance to respond before Chiaki broke the silence again.

"It's not that I wouldn't want to be here," he implored. "I wanted to be with you…because I love you," he added, shyly.

Hatori reached his hand over and took hold of Yoshino's. His azure-eyed lover tensed slightly at the intrusion, but immediately relaxed. Tori wouldn't tell Chiaki that one of the reasons he never forgot about the forced coupling was that Chiaki did tend to tense up whenever contact was initiated. He hoped one day he could touch his boyfriend without Chiaki becoming rigid. It had diminished, some, but it wasn't completely gone as of yet. It made him wonder if Yoshino was aware he tensed up or if it had become an unconscious reaction.

"I love you too, Chiaki," he stressed, trying to keep his voice from cracking. Again he wished there was a wall between the two of them, but he was able to keep his composure when he removed his hand and turned to his side, not facing the other. "Tomorrow I'll call Takano-san and let him know you're here with me so he can contact your artists. If we get everything done here that we can, when we get back we can work hard and fast to reach the deadline on time." Speaking of work was a good way to take his mind off his demons.

Yoshino felt a little hurt when Hatori'd taken his hand from his, and even more so when the man turned away from him. He didn't dwell on the issue though since he knew Tori was suffering. Instead he relocated himself so he was once again spooning Hatori. The man was limp against his body, and he wrapped his arm around his midriff; his other arm found its way under Tori's head and became a second pillow.

"I'll hold you until the pain goes away, Tori," Chiaki whispered, taking control again in a situation that demanded of him as such.

Hatori chuckled slightly. "Thank you, Yoshino," he whispered, allowing himself to fall silent as he felt his lover's heartbeat in his back. _I don't think the pain will ever go away, Chiaki, _he thought. _As long as I feel the physical lack of trust, I will always be reminded that I caused you pain and that I deserve the pain I feel in return. I look forward to the day when I can touch you and you react the same way I react when you touch me. Until that time, I'll work to earn that trust back. _

Chiaki felt Hatori slip into slumber and knew he was close behind. Holding Hatori like this felt like the most natural thing in the world. He just wished he'd learned under different circumstances. For now, and until they went back home, he'd hold Hatori while he slept. And if the pain remained, he'd hold Hatori for the rest of his life so he didn't have to go through the hurt alone.

/GG/

**Author's Note:**

**V6 is a group from Johnny's Entertainment (the most popular idol creator in Japan). There are six members who are still in the business even after almost 20 years. I saw them in concert when I was in South Korea and was in awe since I've been a fan since they premiered. **

**Power Pack is a comic about four kids who acquire powers after an alien falls on the planet and hands over the powers before he dies. **

**20000 yen is a freaking huge wad of cash. Think about 200 USD. **

**Hopefully this story wasn't depressing in any way. I was speaking with some fans and it came to pass that I took their comments about the rape and my idea about death and combined them. Chiaki is a lot smarter than people give him credit for, so I needed something else to occupy his mind about why Hatori would be distressed, or he would have started to figure the other issue out. I didn't want that yet since I know, realistically, it would take some time for this issue to fully heal. **


End file.
